Britain, France and Germany have told the United Nations they are ready to reimpose UN-mandated sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme if no diplomatic solution is found by the end of August, according to a joint letter obtained by AFP.
The letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council says the three European powers are “committed to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon” unless Tehran meets the deadline.
The foreign ministers from the so-called E3 group threaten to use a “snapback mechanism” that was part of a 2015 international deal with Iran that eased UN Security Council sanctions.
Under the deal, which terminates in October, any party to the accord can restore the sanctions.
All three have stepped up warnings to Iran about its suspension of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
That came after Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran in June, partly seeking to destroy its nuclear capability. The United States staged its own bombing raid during the war.
“We have made clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism,” foreign ministers Jean-Noel Barrot of France, David Lammy of Britain and Johann Wadephul of Germany said in the letter.
All three countries were signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with the United States, China and Russia that offered the carrot and stick deal for Iran to slow its enrichment of uranium needed for a nuclear weapon.
President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the accord in 2018 during his first term and ordered new sanctions.
The European countries said they would stick to the accord. But their letter sets out engagements that the ministers say Iran has breached, including building up a uranium stock more than 40 times the permitted level under the 2015 deal.
“The E3 remain fully committed to a diplomatic resolution to the crisis caused by Iran’s nuclear programme and will continue to engage with a view to reaching a negotiated solution.
“We are equally ready, and have unambiguous legal grounds, to notify the significant non-performance of JCPOA commitments by Iran … thereby triggering the snapback mechanism, should no satisfactory solution be reached by the end of August 2025,” the ministers wrote in the letter first reported by the Financial Times.
End of cooperation
The United States had already started contacts with Iran, which denies seeking a weapon, over its nuclear activities.
But these were halted by the Israeli strikes in June on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Even before the strikes, the international powers had raised concerns about the lack of access given to IAEA inspectors.
Iran halted all cooperation with the IAEA after the strikes, but it announced that the agency’s deputy chief was expected in Tehran for talks on a new cooperation deal.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to the UN last month saying that the European countries did not have the legal right to restore sanctions.
The European ministers called this allegation “unfounded”.
They insisted that as JCPOA signatories, they would be “clearly and unambiguously legally justified in using relevant provisions” of UN resolutions “to trigger UN snapback to reinstate UNSC resolutions against Iran, which would prohibit enrichment and re-impose UN sanctions.”
IDF chief of staff approves ‘main concept’ for new Gaza attack plan
The Israeli military said that chief of staff Eyal Zamir has approved the “main concept” for an attack plan in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reports. There are no further details yet, but we bring you updates when we get them.
On Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected to complete the new Gaza offensive “fairly quickly”.
Last week Israel’s security cabinet approved the plans to seize control of Gaza City. The plan was met with international criticism and from Israel’s opposition. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the decision to send Israeli forces into Gaza City a disaster, saying it defied the advice of military and security officials.
Key events
Hamas says Israel making ‘aggressive’ incursions into Gaza City
A Hamas official said that Israeli forces were making “aggressive” incursions into Gaza City on Wednsday, after the military approved the framework for a new offensive in the territory.
“The Israeli occupation forces continue to carry out aggressive incursions in Gaza City,” Ismail Al-Thawabta, director general of the Hamas government media office in Gaza, told AFP.
“These assaults represent a dangerous escalation aimed at imposing a new reality on the ground by force, through a scorched earth policy and the complete destruction of civilian property.”
Israeli planes and tanks bombed eastern areas of Gaza City heavily overnight, residents said, with many homes destroyed in the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods, Reuters reports.
Al-Ahli hospital said 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a home in Zeitoun.
Tanks also destroyed several houses in the east of Khan Younis in south Gaza, while in the centre Israeli gunfire killed nine aid-seekers in two separate incidents, Palestinian medics said. Israel’s military did not comment.
Last night in a TV interview Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated an idea – also enthusiastically floated by US president Donald Trump – that Palestinians should simply leave the territory housing more than 2 million people after nearly two years of conflict.
“They’re not being pushed out, they’ll be allowed to exit,” he told Israeli television channel i24NEWS. “All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us.”
Arabs and many world leaders are aghast at the idea of displacing the Gaza population, which Palestinians say would be like another “Nakba” (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during a 1948 war, news wire Reuters says.
Israel’s planned re-seizure of Gaza City – which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing – is probably weeks away, officials say. That means a ceasefire is still possible though talks have been floundering and conflict still rages.
Britain, France and Germany have told the UN they are ready to reimpose UN-mandated sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme if no diplomatic solution is found by the end of August, according to a joint letter obtained by AFP.
The letter to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and the UN security council says the three European powers are “committed to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon” unless Tehran meets the deadline.
All three have stepped up warnings to Iran about its suspension of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
That came after Israel launched a 12-day war with Iran in June, partly seeking to destroy its nuclear capability. The US staged its own bombing raid during the war.
Iran’s top security chief vowed in Lebanon that his government would continue to provide support for Hezbollah, AFP reports, after the Lebanese government ordered the army to devise a plan to disarm the Tehran-backed militant group.
Ali Larijani’s trip to Lebanon comes after Iran expressed opposition to a government plan to disarm Hezbollah, which before a war with Israel last year was believed to be better armed than the Lebanese military.
“If … the Lebanese people are suffering, we in Iran will also feel this pain and we will stand by the dear people of Lebanon in all circumstances,” Larijani, the head of the National Security Council, told reporters after landing in Beirut.
Dozens of Hezbollah supporters gathered along the airport road to welcome Larijani. He briefly stepped out of his car to greet them as they chanted slogans of support.
In Lebanon, Larijani is scheduled to meet president Joseph Aoun and prime minister Nawaf Salam, as well as parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is close to Hezbollah.
Iran has suffered a series of blows in its long-running rivalry with Israel, including during 12 days of war between the two countries in June.
Hezbollah’s grip on power has slipped since a war with Israel ended in a November 2024 ceasefire and the new Lebanese government, backed by the United States, has moved to further restrain it.
New Zealand PM says Benjamin Netanyahu has ‘lost the plot’
New Zealand’s prime minister has said that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost the plot”, accusing him of going too far in his efforts to wage war on Gaza, AFP reports.
“What’s happening in Gaza is utterly, utterly appalling,” said prime minister Christopher Luxon.
“Netanyahu has gone way too far. I think he has lost the plot,” added Luxon in unusually candid comments.
“He is not listening to the international community and that is unacceptable.”
New Zealand on Monday hinted it could join the likes of Australia, Canada, France and Britain in recognising a Palestinian state.
“New Zealand has been clear for some time that our recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if,” foreign affairs minister Winston Peters said.
“Cabinet will take a formal decision in September over whether New Zealand should recognise a state of Palestine at this juncture – and if so, when and how.”
The approval of the new Gaza plan by IDF chief of staff, Eyal Zamir comes amid a rift between Israel’s political leaders and its military commanders.
Israel’s decision to approve a plan to occupy the Gaza Strip has reportedly deepened tensions between the government and the country’s military leadership, while also exposing fresh fractures within the army’s senior ranks and straining relations with reservists summoned for what could become the most dangerous phase of the war, the Guardian’s international corespondent Lorenzo Tondo wrote on Sunday.
In the seven days leading up to the pivotal meeting of Israel’s security cabinet at which the plan was approved, the chief of staff Zamir, had repeatedly voiced his misgivings over the move to fully occupy the territory, warning that taking over Gaza would plunge Israel into a “black hole” of prolonged insurgency, humanitarian responsibility and heightened risk to hostages.
Zamir’s dissent ignited a political storm, with the son of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing the army’s chief of staff of mutiny. Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, urged the chief of staff to “clearly state he will fully comply with the political leadership’s instructions, even if the decision is to occupy Gaza”.
Some Israeli reports suggested Zamir could resign, though he now appears to have approved the new plans.
IDF chief of staff approves ‘main concept’ for new Gaza attack plan
The Israeli military said that chief of staff Eyal Zamir has approved the “main concept” for an attack plan in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reports. There are no further details yet, but we bring you updates when we get them.
On Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected to complete the new Gaza offensive “fairly quickly”.
Last week Israel’s security cabinet approved the plans to seize control of Gaza City. The plan was met with international criticism and from Israel’s opposition. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the decision to send Israeli forces into Gaza City a disaster, saying it defied the advice of military and security officials.
Cogat, the Israeli military agency that deals with humanitarian logistics in Gaza, has posted an update on aid deliveries into the territory:
“Close to 320 trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.
Aid collection: Close to 320 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations.
Fuel: 3 tankers of UN fuel entered for the operation of essential humanitarian systems.
Airdrops: 97 pallets of aid were airdropped in cooperation with the UAE, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and France.
Humanitarian personnel: A rotation coordination of humanitarian personnel has been successfully completed. We will continue expanding our efforts to facilitate humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Gaza.”
Yesterday foreign ministers from 25 countries signed a statement calling for a “flood” of aid to be let into Gaza, which is suffering from an acute shortage of food because of Israel’s blockade.
IDF says it struck militants disguised as aid workers
The Israeli military said it struck a group of militants in Gaza who were disguised as aid workers and using a car with the logo of international charity World Central Kitchen, AP reports.
The army said it carried out an airstrike on the men after confirming with the charity that they were not affiliated with it and that the car did not belong to it.
World Central Kitchen confirmed that the men and the vehicle were not affiliated with it. “We strongly condemn anyone posing as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarians, as this endangers civilians and aid workers,” it said in a statement.
The military shared video footage showing several men in yellow vests standing around a vehicle with the charity’s logo on its roof. The military said five of the men were armed.
The charity, founded in 2010, dispatches teams that can quickly provide meals on a mass scale in conflict zones and after natural disasters.
In a TV interview with an Israeli broadcaster last night, Benjamin Netanyahu revived calls to “allow” Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip, as the military prepares a broader offensive in the territory, AFP reports.
Past calls to resettle Gazans outside of the war-battered territory, including from US president Donald Trump, have sparked concern among Palestinians and condemnation from the international community.
Netanyahu told Israeli broadcaster i24NEWS that “we are not pushing them out, but we are allowing them to leave”.
“Give them the opportunity to leave, first of all, combat zones, and generally to leave the territory, if they want,” he said, citing refugee outflows during wars in Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Israel has tightly controlled Gaza’s borders for years.
“We will allow this, first of all within Gaza during the fighting, and we will certainly allow them to leave Gaza as well,” Netanyahu said.
Opening summary: Netanyahu indicates truce talks focused on release of all hostages
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted that ceasefire efforts in Gaza are now focused on a comprehensive deal that would release the remaining hostages all at once, rather than in phases.
Arab officials told the AP news agency last week that mediators Egypt and Qatar were preparing a new framework for a deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages in one go in return for a lasting ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal.
The long-running indirect talks appeared to break down last month, but a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for fresh talks on Tuesday.
In an interview with Israel’s i24 News network on Tuesday, Netanyahu was asked if the window had closed on a partial ceasefire deal.
“I think it’s behind us,” Netanyahu replied. “We tried, we made all kinds of attempts, we went through a lot, but it turned out that they were just misleading us.”
“I want all of them,” he said of the hostages. “The release of all the hostages, both alive and dead – that’s the stage we’re at.”
He added that Israel’s demands haven’t changed, and that the war will end only when all hostages are returned and Hamas has surrendered.
Other key updates include:
The United Nations has warned that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric reported the warning from the World Food Program and said Gaza’s Health Ministry told UN staff in Gaza that five people died over the last 24 hours from malnutrition and starvation. The ministry says 121 adults and 101 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war.
The foreign ministers of 25 countries including the UK, Australia, France, Spain and Japan as well as two signatories from the EU released a joint statement saying that “humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels”. The statement called for the government of Israel to let in a “flood” of aid.
The World Health Organization said Israel should let it stock medical supplies to deal with a “catastrophic” health situation in Gaza, before Israel enacts plans to seize control of Gaza City.
Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office has said Israel is blocking the entry of more than 430 food items into the territory, despite allowing some aid trucks through last month under international pressure.
Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday revived calls to “allow” Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip, as the military prepares a broader offensive in the territory. Israel tightly controls Gaza. It is not clear where Gazans would go should they be allowed to leave the territory.
Australia prime minister Anthony Albanese said his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu was “in denial” about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, a day after announcing Australia would recognise a Palestinian state for the first time.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet President Donald Trump during a visit to the United States next month to attend the UN General Assembly meeting, the Indian Express newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An Indian official familiar with the matter said a decision has not yet been taken, and that countries usually reserve slots for the General Debate at the assembly, which is why India’s “head of government” features in a provisional list of speakers on September 26.
“The list will go through revisions,” the official said, adding that it had not yet been decided if Modi would be going to the assembly. The General Assembly kicks off on September 9, but the debate, the annual meeting of heads of state and government, will be held from September 23-29.
Although the reason for the potential visit will be to attend the UN meeting in New York, a key objective will be to hold talks with Trump and iron out trade and tariff issues that have led to some souring of ties between the two countries, the newspaper reported.
News of a possible Modi trip to the US comes days after Trump announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods to penalise New Delhi for continuing to buy Russian oil.
The penalty took the total levy on Indian goods exported to the US to 50pc, among the highest levied on any US trading partner.
Trade talks between New Delhi and Washington collapsed after five rounds of negotiations over disagreement on opening India’s vast farm and dairy sectors and stopping Russian oil purchases.
On Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said several large trade agreements were still waiting to be completed, including with Switzerland and India, but New Delhi had been “a bit recalcitrant” in talks with Washington.
Bessent told Fox Business Network’s Kudlow he hoped the Trump administration could wrap up its trade negotiations by the end of October.
“That’s aspirational, but I think we are in a good position,” he said, adding, “I think we can be, we will have agreed on substantial terms with all the substantial countries.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost the plot” and that Israel’s planned occupation of Gaza City is “utterly unacceptable.”
Luxon’s comments come as his conservative coalition government weighs whether to join other members of the Five-Eyes security alliance, Australia, Britain and Canada, in moving to recognize a Palestinian state; and as international condemnation and anger builds over Israel’s recent decision to expand its war to take control of Gaza City, the throttling of aid and mass starvation in the enclave.
Luxon, who leads the right-leaning National Party, said Netanyahu is “not listening” to the international community’s demands for “unfettered” humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza.
“I think Netanyahu has gone too far. I think he has lost the plot. And I think what we are seeing overnight with the attack on Gaza City is utterly, utterly unacceptable,” Luxon said, in some of his strongest comments against Israel’s actions in Gaza to date.
Netanhayu’s office has not yet responded to Luxon’s comment.
Israel has continued its intense aerial attacks on Gaza this week and Netanyahu’s planned military takeover of Gaza City, expected to force up to a million people to leave the city, has been widely condemned.
“We have said a forcible displacement of people and an annexation of Gaza would be a breach of international law,” said Luxon.
Chaotic scenes continue to emerge from Gaza, with violence and starvation deepening amid Israel’s tight control of aid to the territory. At least 227 people – including 103 children – have died from malnutrition since the beginning of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Foreign ministers from dozens of countries on Tuesday jointly said that suffering has reached “unimaginable levels” and “famine is unfolding before our eyes” as they demand that Israel allow more aid into Gaza and permit humanitarian organizations to operate there.
Luxon is not the only western leader to openly criticize Israel’s Prime Minister in recent days. On Tuesday, Australia’s leader Anthony Albanese said he had spoken to Netanyahu but found him to be “in denial” about the human cost of the war in Gaza.
“He (Netanyahu) again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people,” Albanese told Australia’s public broadcaster ABC.
Earlier this week, Australia announced it would move to recognize Palestinian statehood at the United National General Assembly meeting in September, leaving New Zealand as the only member of the Five Eyes security alliance, except the United States, not to pledge to do so. French President Emmanuel Macron has also said France will recognize a Palestinian state in an announcement to the United Nations General Assembly in September.
“The urgent need today is to end the war in Gaza and to rescue the civilian population,” said Macron in a July statement, reiterating calls for an immediate ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza, the release of all hostages and the demilitarization of Hamas.
Washington has found itself increasingly at odds with key western allies over Israel and how the war in Gaza is being conducted. Both Israel and the US have condemned moves to recognize a Palestinian state.
Luxon announced Monday that New Zealand would consider its position on recognizing a Palestinian state over the next month, prompting fierce criticism at home for what is considered by some to be a lack of action on Israel.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who went on to lead the United Nation’s Development Program after exiting domestic politics, lambasted Luxon’s coalition government on Tuesday for not moving quickly enough.
“We now really seem to stand for nothing except you know, somehow wanting to save our own skin in a tariff war,” she told New Zealand’s public broadcaster RNZ on Tuesday. “I think it’s really quite a humiliating position for New Zealand to be in.”
On Wednesday, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was kicked out of Parliament for refusing to apologize for comments she made suggesting coalition lawmakers grow a spine and support a bill to sanction Israel.
“If we find six of 68 government MPs (members of Parliament) with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,” said Swarbrick Tuesday.
(Bloomberg) — India and China are restoring economic links strained by a deadly 2020 border clash, the latest sign Prime Minister Narendra Modi is drawing closer to the BRICS countries after US President Donald Trump hit the South Asian nation with a 50% tariff.
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Modi’s latest move is to resume direct flights with China as soon as next month, said people familiar with the negotiations who asked for anonymity to discuss private matters. The deal could be formally announced when Modi is expected to head to China for the first time in seven years and meet leader Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation held in Tianjin from Aug. 31, the people said.
Flights were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, which coincided with a sharp decline in relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors after border clashes in the Himalayas killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops.
Modi’s economic calculus was fundamentally altered this month when Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% as a penalty for its purchases of Russian oil. The US president’s remarks that India’s economy was “dead” and its tariff barriers “obnoxious” further strained relations.
The blow from India’s largest trading partner hit hard, especially after Modi had lavished praise on Trump and was among the first foreign leaders to visit after his return to the White House.
Henry Wang, president of the Center for China and Globalization think tank in Beijing, said relations between India and China are in an “up cycle,” and as leaders of the Global South, “they have to really speak to each other.”
“Trump’s tariff war on India has made India realize that they have to maintain some kind of strategic autonomy and strategic independence,” he said.
China, also a prime target in Trump’s trade wars, has shown signs it’s ready for a thaw. This month, it eased curbs on urea shipments to India — the world’s largest importer of the fertilizer.
Although initial volumes are small, the trade could expand, easing global shortages and prices. China relaxed the ban in June but had maintained restrictions on India until now.
The Adani Group is exploring a tieup with Chinese EV giant BYD Co. that would allow billionaire Gautam Adani’s conglomerate to manufacture batteries in India and extend its push into clean energy, according to people familiar with the matter.
Modi’s government recently allowed tourist visas for Chinese nationals after years of curbs. China is India’s second-largest trade partner after the US, and India needs key inputs from China to develop its manufacturing base.
While there may be a thaw, the two Asian powers are not likely to restore full trust overnight. They have seen each other as rivals for years and friction increased a few months ago when China supplied weapons and intelligence to Pakistan in its recent military dispute with India.
WATCH: Narendra Modi strikes a defiant tone in response to Donald Trump’s threats over India’s Russian oil purchases. Here’s why it’s a delicate balancing act.Source: Bloomberg
Part of Trump’s recent anger toward New Delhi comes from India denying his claims that his mediation helped defuse tensions with Pakistan. Modi also challenged those assertions directly in a call with Trump in June. India saw a shift in tone from the White House after that, according to the officials in New Delhi.
Modi is also strengthening ties with Brazil and Russia, fellow BRICS founding members. In August, he invited President Vladimir Putin to visit India as relations with the US soured.
Trump is frustrated with India’s continued imports of discounted Russian oil, which help fund the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. Modi has shown no signs of backing down, and his government signed agreements with Moscow this month to deepen economic cooperation.
Modi has also talked trade and the imposition of unilateral tariffs against their nations with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolstering commercial ties between Brazil and India was a key topic of Modi’s visit to Brasilia in July. During the call in early August, Lula and Modi also agreed to expand India’s trade deal with Mercosur, the South American customs union that includes Brazil.
The US has long courted India as a counterbalance to China in geopolitics but with Trump’s trade wars, Beijing and New Delhi are finding common ground. Xu Feihong, China’s ambassador to India, has offered Modi moral support over the tariffs.
“Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile,” Xu last week wrote on X over a quote from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi denouncing the use of tariffs “as a weapon to suppress other countries.”
–With assistance from Dan Strumpf, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Mihir Mishra, Anthony Palazzo and Colum Murphy.
(Updates with details on Modi’s visit to China in second paragraph.)
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Wednesday that Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost the plot” as the country weighs up whether to recognise a Palestinian state.
Luxon told reporters that the lack of humanitarian assistance, the forceful displacement of people and the annexation of Gaza were utterly appalling and that Netanyahu had gone way too far.
“I think he has lost the plot,” added Luxon, who heads the centre-right coalition government.
“What we are seeing overnight, the attack on Gaza City, is utterly, utterly unacceptable.”
Luxon said earlier this week New Zealand was considering whether to recognise a Palestinian state.
Close ally Australia on Monday joined Canada, the UK and France in announcing it would do so at a UN conference in September.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached “unimaginable levels”, Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European allies said on Tuesday, calling on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
Israel has denied responsibility for hunger spreading in Gaza, accusing Hamas militants of stealing aid shipments, which Hamas denies.
Ahead of Wednesday’s parliamentary session, a small number of protesters gathered outside the country’s parliament buildings, beating pots and pans.
Local media organisation Stuff reported protesters chanted “MPs grow a spine, recognise Palestine.”
On Tuesday, Greens parliamentarian Chloe Swarbrick was removed from parliament’s debating chamber after she refused to apologise for a comment insinuating government politicians were spineless for not supporting a bill to “sanction Israel for its war crimes.”
Swarbrick was ordered to leave the debating chamber for a second day on Wednesday after she again refused to apologise. When she refused to leave, the government voted to suspend her.
“Sixty-eight members of this House were accused of being spineless,” House speaker Gerry Brownlee said.
“There has never been a time where personal insults like that delivered inside a speech were accepted by this House and I’m not going to start accepting it.” As Swarbrick left, she called out “free Palestine.”
At the start of this year, relations between India and the United States appeared to be on an upward trajectory. In February, just a month after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood alongside his long-time friend at the White House, pledging to raise bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 and signalling the possibility of a comprehensive trade agreement.
This bonhomie wasn’t restricted to just trade – it reflected on defence cooperation, energy trade, and the Indo-Pacific security framework. Modi invited Trump to India for the planned Quad leaders’ summit later this year, a gesture intended to cement the personal rapport between the two leaders.
That optimism began to unravel in May when tensions between India and Pakistan flared dangerously. In a brief but intense escalation, Pakistan claimed to have shot down six Indian fighter jets and destroyed a BrahMos missile storage facility in Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Both sides came perilously close to wider conflict before agreeing to a ceasefire on May 10.
Trump publicly took credit for brokering the deal, calling it a personal diplomatic success. India, however, disputed that narrative, insisting it was a mutually agreed arrangement without US mediation. This disagreement planted the first seeds of mistrust.
In June, the unease deepened when Trump invited Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir to the White House for a high-profile lunch.
The meeting, followed by announcements of a favourable US-Pakistan trade arrangement, an oil reserve development deal, new cooperation on cryptocurrency regulation, and Washington’s acceptance of Pakistan’s long-standing demand to designate the Balochistan Liberation Army and its Majeed Brigade as terrorist organisations, signalled a strategic warming between Washington and Islamabad.
Days before the Trump-Munir meeting, Modi and Trump held a tense phone call on June 17. According to reports, the conversation further soured their relationship, unravelling years of carefully built goodwill.
The economic blow
By August, the rupture had translated into hard measures. Trump slapped 25% tariffs on Indian imports, accusing New Delhi of maintaining “strenuous and obnoxious” trade barriers.
Days later, he doubled the rate to 50%, the highest for any Asian partner, citing India’s continued purchases of Russian crude as undermining the US sanctions regime against Moscow. He ruled out further negotiations until India cut its Russian oil imports.
This escalation came despite five rounds of talks toward an interim trade deal, in which India had shown willingness to increase US energy and defence purchases and lower tariffs on American industrial goods. Political miscalculations and disagreements over agricultural norms and quotas ultimately doomed the talks, leaving $190 billion in annual trade and a $46 billion deficit unresolved.
The tariff hike threatens India’s $87 billion export engine to the US, 18% of its total exports and over 2% of its GDP. Industry experts warn of a 40-50% drop in shipments, especially in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, jewellery, and automobiles. Small and medium-sized enterprises face a severe loss of competitiveness, while economists have trimmed GDP growth forecasts by as much as 1%.
Market reaction has been swift: a weaker rupee, the risk of imported inflation, capital flight by foreign portfolio investors, and higher borrowing costs for foreign-currency debt.
Strategic fallout
The dispute undermines New Delhi’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. While the foreign ministers of Australia, Japan, the US, and India recently met in Washington, the Quad leaders’ summit now looks unlikely. Instead, India risks drifting closer to Russia, its long-time defence partner, and even exploring limited engagement with China, which Modi is set to visit later this month.
For Washington, this marks a reversal of a 25-year strategy of building up India as a counterweight to China’s rise. For New Delhi, it is a reminder of the volatility of personal diplomacy: the same leader who embraced Modi in Ahmedabad in 2020, before 100,000 cheering spectators, is now wielding tariffs as leverage.
Political setback for Modi
Domestically, the rupture is damaging for Modi. His image as a global statesman, reinforced by his perceived closeness to Trump, has been a key part of his appeal to India’s middle class. The opposition Congress party has seized the moment, branding him “Narendra Surrender” for failing to protect Indian trade interests. Even Hindu nationalist groups in the US, once among Trump’s staunch supporters, feel abandoned by Washington’s turn.
With his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) having lost its parliamentary majority in the last election, Modi now faces questions about his handling of both foreign and economic policy. His perceived inability to counter China’s assertiveness while losing favour in Washington could become a central vulnerability.
The stakes
At stake is more than just a trade dispute. The episode jeopardises three decades of India’s economic ascent and its strategic positioning as an emerging power backed by a US partnership.
Whether this moment leads to strategic drift, realignment toward other powers or eventual rapprochement with Washington will shape India’s trajectory for years to come.
The above article was contributed by Syed Ahmed Raza Rizvi, Senior Sub-Editor at Business Recorder (Digital).
There were nearly a billion registered voters in the 2024 elections
A political row has erupted in India over allegations of “vote theft” by opposition parties, and accusations of electoral irregularities against the country’s election body, which they say favoured the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 general elections.
On Tuesday, parliament was adjourned after opposition MPs demanded a debate on the integrity of India’s electoral process.
A day earlier, dozens of opposition leaders, including Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, were briefly detained by the police in the capital Delhi, as they tried to march to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) headquarters.
Gandhi first raised the issue at a 7 August press conference in Delhi, and has since managed to galvanise strong support from hundreds of opposition lawmakers.
The Election Commission and the BJP have aggressively rejected the allegations.
What are Rahul Gandhi’s allegations against the Election Commission?
Gandhi has alleged widespread voter manipulation during the 2024 parliamentary elections, citing granular data obtained from the electoral body itself – though the ECI and the ruling party dispute his interpretation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a historic third term in the elections, but his BJP-led alliance fell short of the sweeping majority predicted. Voter turnout averaged 66% in the world’s largest election, with nearly a billion registered voters – one in eight people on Earth.
Gandhi cited electoral data for Mahadevapura, a part of the Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency, and claimed that the voter list had more than 100,000 manipulated entries, including duplicate voters, invalid addresses, and bulk registrations of votes at single locations.
He presented examples of voters like Shakun Rani, who he claimed cast her ballots twice – a claim disputed by the election body.
Gandhi also alleged CCTV footage from polling booths was deleted and pointed out an instance of 80 people registered in a single address in Mahadevapura.
The Congress leader says his party lost at least 48 seats in the elections due to such irregularities and has accused India’s election body of failing to enforce the “one man, one vote” principle. The Congress won 99 of the 543 seats in the elections, behind BJP’s 240.
Gandhi has demanded that the ECI release digital voter rolls, so that they can be audited by his party and the public.
The BBC hasn’t independently verified Gandhi’s claims.
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Gandhi cited constituency data to allege large-scale poll manipulation
What have the ECI and BJP said?
Soon after Gandhi’s press conference, ECI responded on social media platform X, calling his allegations “absurd” and denying many of his claims.
The polling body has demanded that he either submit a signed declaration under oath or apologise to the nation.
ECI’s Karnataka state unit further said that the Congress didn’t file formal objections when the electoral roll was being revised ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections.
The poll body earlier said it keeps CCTV footage only for 45 days after results – the window for filing election disputes.
BJP leaders have also strongly rebutted the allegations.
“This anarchy is extremely worrying and dangerous for democracy,” BJP leader and federal education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.
Federal agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Gandhi and the opposition alliance were “defaming democracy, tearing it to shreds, and tampering with the dignity of constitutional institutions”.
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The new draft rolls for Bihar have 72.4 million names – 6.5 million fewer than before
What has been the political fallout?
Gandhi’s allegations have led to an uproar as they come in the backdrop of a controversy over a month-long revision of electoral rolls in Bihar state, where key elections are scheduled for November.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR), held between June and July, saw officials visit all 78.9 million voters in the state for verification – the first update since 2003.
The ECI says the drive targets duplicate and deceased voters, but critics say its haste has disenfranchised many, especially migrants and minorities.
Many voters in Bihar have told the BBC that the draft rolls have wrong photos and include dead people.
India’s Supreme Court is currently hearing a batch of petitions challenging the SIR, with petitioners demanding publication of the deleted names – about 6.5 million – with reasons for their removal.
The election body says deletions include 2.2 million dead, 700,000 enrolled more than once and 3.6 million who have migrated from the state.
Corrections are open until 1 September, with over 165,000 applications received. A similar review will be conducted nationwide to verify nearly a billion voters.
The court has said that the allegations of disenfranchisement “largely appears to be a case of trust deficit, nothing else” and that it would “step in immediately” if mass exclusion of voters is proven.
On 12 August, Gandhi escalated his claims of vote theft, saying such manipulation was happening “at a national level and systematically”.
Highlighting the case of a 124-year-old voter’s name found in the draft electoral list of Bihar he said: “There are unlimited cases like that. ‘Abhi picture baki hai’ [the story is not over yet].”
A yacht and a cargo ship collided in waters off southern Japan on Wednesday, with one person sent to hospital unconscious and several others reported missing, an official and media reports said.
The captain of a 492-ton gravel carrier reported to the Japan Coast Guard that it collided with a yacht close to Hoto island in Japan’s southern Oita prefecture, coast guard spokeswoman Nanaka Yoshida told AFP.
“We discovered one person at around 10 am (01:00 GMT) and passed them over to emergency services,” she said, adding they had been taken to hospital.
Public broadcaster NHK and other local media said the person pulled from the water was unconscious.
The coast guard is continuing the search for several others who were supposed to be on board the yacht, “but we don’t know the details of the yacht or how many were on board”, she said.
