Category: 2. World

A passenger slapping a Muslim fellow traveller on an Indian flight sparked outrage on social media when a video of the incident went viral, Indian news outlet Hindustan Times reported on Friday.

Discrimination against Muslims in India has spiked in recent months, amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of their recent military confrontation, sparked by New Delhi’s allegations levelled without evidence against Islamabad over a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

According to the Hindustan Times, the passengers were on board IndiGo flight 6E138 from Mumbai to Kolkata.

“The victim appeared to be unwell and was receiving assistance from the cabin crew when another passenger suddenly slapped him without any provocation,” it reported.

The Times of India said that the victim, a Muslim man, had a panic attack, “began sobbing and walking the aisle requesting to de-board as the aircraft taxied, when another flyer struck him”.

A video clip circulating online showed the victim in visible distress after being hit. Another passenger could be heard asking, “Why did you slap him? You don’t have the right to hit anybody, do you understand?”

A crew member was also heard telling the accused, “Don’t do that.”

The reason behind the assault remains unknown for now, and investigations are ongoing. However, the video sparked outrage across social media, with many calling for strict action against the attacker.

The consensus across social media was that the victim had been hit because he was a “visible Muslim”, causing the conversation to turn to slamming “hate politics” and religious divides.

According to the Hindustan Times, one user on X wrote, “This isn’t society collapsing, it’s decades of hate politics finally reaching cruising altitude.”

Another commented, “What level of harassment and abuse is this? Just slapping a guy because he was a visible Muslim? What action have you taken against him? He should be behind bars and banned from travelling.”

Another comment said, “What right does that person have to hit anyone? Pathetic!”

Attacker handed over to authorities

Upon landing in Kolkata, the attacker was handed over to security personnel at the airport. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) took the individual into custody for further investigation.

IndiGo condemned the incident and confirmed that it would initiate action under unruly flyer rules, which may include a temporary no-fly ban. The airline emphasised its commitment to passenger safety and respectful conduct on all flights.

The airline declared the individual as “unruly” and stated that relevant aviation security agencies had been informed in line with protocol.

IndiGo said in a post on X, “Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew.”

The airline added, “We remain committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment on all our flights.”

In May, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), which is based in New Delhi, reported 184 hate crimes targeted at Muslims all over India between April 27 and May 8 in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Could this be the first time in history a social media spat triggers nuclear escalation?

President Donald Trump, offended by posts by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, says he’s ordered two nuclear submarines to move closer to Russia.

So, how will Moscow respond? Are we on a path to a nuclear standoff between America and Russia? An internet-age version of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis?

I doubt it, judging by initial reaction in Russia.

Russian news outlets have been rather dismissive of Trump’s announcement.

Speaking to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper, a military commentator concluded that Trump was “throwing a temper tantrum”.

A retired lieutenant-general told Kommersant that the US president’s talk of submarines was “meaningless blather. It’s how he gets his kicks”.

“I’m sure Trump didn’t really give any orders [about submarines],” a Russian security expert suggested to the same paper.

Kommersant also mentions that in 2017, Trump said that he’d despatched two nuclear submarines to the Korean peninsula as a warning to North Korea.

Yet not long after, Trump held a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

So, bizarrely, might Donald Trump’s latest submarine deployment be a precursor to a US-Russia summit?

I wouldn’t go that far.

But the reaction from the Russian authorities has been interesting.

At time of writing, there hasn’t been any.

Not from the Kremlin. Not from the Russian foreign ministry. Nor the defence ministry.

And I’ve seen no announcement about Russian nuclear submarines being positioned closer to America.

Which suggests that either Moscow is still studying the situation and working out what to do, or that Moscow doesn’t feel the need to react.

The Russian press reaction I mentioned earlier suggests it’s the latter.

Trump had been sparring with Medvedev on social media for several days.

After the US president had reduced his 50-day deadline for Russia to end its war in Ukraine to less than two weeks, Medvedev posted that Trump was “playing the ultimatum game with Russia…Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war”.

Trump responded: “Tell Medvedev, the failed former Russian president who thinks he is still in power, to be careful what he says. He is entering very dangerous territory.”

Medvedev’s next post contained a reference to “Dead Hand”, the automatic nuclear retaliation system developed in the Soviet Union.

Clearly, that did not go down well with the White House chief.

When he was Russia’s president, between 2008 and 2012, Medvedev was seen as a relatively liberal figure.

“Freedom is better than no freedom” he was famously quoted as saying.

But he has grown increasingly hawkish. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine he has gained a reputation for bombastic, anti-Western social media posts. Most of them have passed unnoticed, since he is not viewed as the voice of the Kremlin.

Suddenly he has been noticed: by the President of the United States.

And not just noticed. He’s got right under Trump’s skin.

It’s one thing to dislike a social media post. We’ve all been there.

But to dislike it so much you deploy nuclear submarines feels like overkill.

So why has Trump done it?

Here’s Trump’s own explanation from his interview with Newsmax: “Medvedev said some things that are very bad, talking about nuclear. When you mention the word nuclear my eyes light up and I say we better be careful, because it’s the ultimate threat.”

But Medvedev has long been accused of nuclear sabre-rattling via social media. It’s nothing new.

What is clear is that Trump took the recent Medvedev posts very personally, and reacted accordingly.

Might there also be a strategy at play? Unpredictability feels like a big part of Trump’s way of doing things, in business and in politics; taking unexpected decisions that can put rivals and opponents off balance before talks or during a negotiation.

On ending the war in Ukraine, for example.

Surprise submarine deployments may well fall into that category.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in “the appropriate regions” in response to remarks from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries.

Security analysts called Trump’s move a rhetorical escalation with Moscow, but not necessarily a military one, given that the United States already has nuclear-powered submarines that are deployed and capable of striking Russia.

Medvedev on Thursday said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort, after Trump had told Medvedev to “watch his words.”

“Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev … I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump said in Friday’s social media post.

He added: “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.”

Asked later by reporters why he ordered the submarine movement, Trump said: “A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we’re going to protect our people.”

The U.S. Navy and the Pentagon declined to comment about Trump’s remarks or on whether submarines had been moved. It is extremely rare for the U.S. military to discuss the deployment and location of U.S. submarines given their sensitive mission in nuclear deterrence.

Trump’s comments came at a time of mounting tension between Washington and Moscow as Trump grows frustrated with what he sees as President Vladimir Putin’s failure to negotiate an end to his more than three-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

He did not specify what he meant by “nuclear submarines.” U.S. military submarines are nuclear-powered and can be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, although not all are.

But any talk by a U.S. president about potential nuclear military capabilities raises concerns, the security experts said, noting that the United States has historically refrained from matching Russia’s nuclear-saber rattling given the risks surrounding the world’s most devastating weaponry.

“This is irresponsible and inadvisable,” said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group. “No leader or deputy leader should be threatening nuclear war, let alone in a juvenile manner on social media.”

Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists noted that U.S. nuclear submarines – part of the so-called nuclear triad with bombers and land-based missiles – were always positioned to launch nuclear-armed missiles at targets in Russia.

“The subs are always there all the time and don’t need to be moved into position,” he said. “He grants Medvedev a response to these crazy statements.”

The United States has a total of 14 Ohio Class nuclear-powered submarines, each capable of carrying up to 24 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles that can deliver multiple thermonuclear warheads up to 4,600 miles.

Between 8 and 10 Ohio Class submarines are deployed at any one time, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative arms control group.

‘COMMITMENT TRAP’

Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, has emerged as one of the Kremlin’s most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policy-making circles.

U.S. officials had told Reuters prior to Trump’s latest remarks that Medvedev’s comments were not being taken as a serious threat, and it is unclear what drove Trump’s latest announcement beyond the public clash between the two on social media.

Trump and Medvedev have traded taunts in recent days after Trump on Tuesday said Russia had “10 days from today” to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit with tariffs.

Kristensen said that Trump was creating a “commitment trap” by fueling expectations that he could resort to nuclear weapons if tensions escalated further with Russia.

Still, Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and a former senior Pentagon official, played down the idea that this could lead to nuclear conflict.

“It’s really signaling. It’s not the beginning of some nuclear confrontation and nobody reads it as such. And I would imagine the Russians don’t either,” she said.

She added that Trump’s actions, however, were unlikely to get Russia to change course in Ukraine.

Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has given no indication that it will comply with Trump’s 10-day deadline of August 8.

Putin said on Friday that Moscow hoped for more peace talks but that the momentum of the war was in its favor. He made no reference to the deadline.

Trump, who in the past touted good relations with Putin, has expressed mounting frustration with the Russian leader, accusing him of “bullshit” and describing Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine as disgusting.

(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto, and Phil Stewart, Jonathan Landay, Mike Stone and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)

Israel’s top general has warned that there will be no respite in fighting in Gaza if negotiations fail to quickly secure the release of hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

“I estimate that in the coming days we will know whether we can reach an agreement for the release of our hostages,” said army chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, according to a military statement.

“If not, the combat will continue without rest,” he said, during remarks to officers inside Gaza on Friday.

Footage released by the Israeli military showed Zamir meeting soldiers and officers in a command centre.

Of the 251 people who were kidnapped from Israel during Hamas’s attack in October 2023, 49 remain in Gaza, 27 of them dead, according to the military.

Palestinian armed groups this week released two videos of hostages looking emaciated and weak.

Negotiations — mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar — to secure a ceasefire and their release broke down last month, and some in Israel have called for tougher military action.

This comes against the backdrop of growing pressure — both internationally and domestically, including from many of the hostages’ families — to resume efforts to secure a ceasefire in the nearly 22-month conflict.

Aid agencies have meanwhile warned that Gaza’s population is facing a catastrophic famine, triggered by Israeli restrictions on aid.

Zamir nonetheless rejected these allegations out of hand.

“The current campaign of false accusations of intentional starvation is a deliberate, timed, and deceitful attempt to accuse the IDF (military), a moral army, of war crimes,” he said.

“The ones responsible for the killing and suffering of the residents in the Gaza Strip is Hamas.”

Hamas’s 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures.

A total of 898 Israeli soldiers have also been killed since ground troops were sent into Gaza, according to the military.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,332 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.

TEL AVIV: US envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday met the anguished families of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, as fears for the captives’ survival mounted almost 22 months into the war sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack.

Witkoff was greeted with some applause and pleas for assistance from hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, before going into a closed meeting with the families.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed the meeting was underway and videos shared online showed Witkoff arriving as families chanted “Bring them home!” and “We need your help.”

The visit came one day after Witkoff visited a US-backed aid station in Gaza, to inspect efforts to get food into the devastated Palestinian territory.

Yotam Cohen, brother of 21-year-old hostage Nimrod Cohen, told AFP in the square: “The war needs to end. The Israeli government will not end it willingly. It has refused to do so.

“The Israeli government must be stopped. For our sakes, for our soldiers’ sakes, for our hostages’ sakes, for our sons and for the future generations of everybody in the Middle East.”

After the meeting, the Forum released a statement saying that Witkoff had given them a personal commitment that he and US President Donald Trump would work to return the remaining hostages.

The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, had been mediating ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel that would allow the hostages to be released and humanitarian aid to flow more freely.

But talks broke down last month and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is under increasing domestic pressure to come up with another way to secure the missing hostages, alive and dead.

He is also facing international calls to open Gaza’s borders to more food aid, after UN and humanitarian agencies warned that more than two million Palestinian civilians are facing starvation.

But Israel’s top general warned that there would be no respite in fighting in Gaza if the hostages were not released.

“I estimate that in the coming days we will know whether we can reach an agreement for the release of our hostages,” said army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, according to a military statement.

“If not, the combat will continue without rest,” he said, during remarks to officers inside Gaza on Friday.

Of the 251 people who were kidnapped from Israel during Hamas’s attack in October 2023, 49 remain in Gaza, 27 of them dead, according to the military.

Palestinian armed groups this week released two videos of hostages looking emaciated and weak.

Zamir denied that there was widespread starvation in Gaza.

“The current campaign of false accusations of intentional starvation is a deliberate, timed, and deceitful attempt to accuse the IDF (Israeli military), a moral army, of war crimes,” he said.

“The ones responsible for the killing and suffering of the residents in the Gaza Strip is Hamas.”

Hamas’s 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures.

A total of 898 Israeli soldiers have also been killed, according to the military.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,332 people, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.

Gaza’s civil defense agency said Israeli strikes killed 21 people in the territory on Saturday.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said two people were killed and another 26 injured after an Israeli strike on a central Gaza area where Palestinians had gathered before a food distribution point run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

He added that Saturday’s bombings mostly targeted the areas near the southern city of Khan Yunis and Gaza City in the north.

Witkoff visited another GHF site for five hours on Friday, promising that Trump would come up with a plan to better feed civilians.

Adnan Abu Hasna, of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told AFP that the agency had “approximately 6,000 trucks ready for the Gaza Strip, but the crossings are closed by political decision. There are five land crossings into the Strip through which 1,000 trucks can enter daily.”

The UN human rights office in the Palestinian territories on Friday said at least 1,373 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza had been killed since May 27, most of them by the Israeli military.

Israel’s military insist that soldiers never deliberately target civilians and accuses Hamas fighters of looting UN and humanitarian aid trucks.

Gaza’s government media office says only 73 aid trucks entered Gaza yesterday, far below the 500 to 600 the UN estimates are needed to meet residents’ daily needs, Al Jazeera reports.

In addition, most of the trucks were looted before their contents could be distributed, it added, blaming Israel for “systematically and deliberately” enforcing the “security chaos”.

“We strongly condemn the continued crime of starvation, the closure of the crossings, and the prevention of humanitarian aid from entering,” the office said in a statement.

Cold Nordic countries are being seared by “truly unprecedented” heat, as hot weather strengthened and lengthened by carbon pollution continues to roast northern Europe.

A weather station in the Norwegian part of the Arctic Circle recorded temperatures above 30C (86F) on 13 days in July, while Finland has had three straight weeks with 30C heat.

Scientists say it is the longest streak in records going back to 1961, and 50% longer than the previous record.

“Truly unprecedented heatwave still in full swing with maximum today about 32-33C,” said Mika Rantanen, a climate scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, in a social media post on Thursday. “Even the Arctic regions … have seen three weeks above 25C, and may rival tomorrow their August heat records.”

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute said temperatures above 30C were recorded on 12 days in July by at least one station in its three northernmost counties. Although the country had a brief respite last week as hot weather moved north and east, the institute said it expected temperatures of 30C might be reached again over the weekend.

“We have some hot days ahead of us in northern Norway,” it said.

In Sweden, meteorologists said long-term heatwaves were noted at several stations in the north of the country, with a weather station in Haparanda measuring 25C or more for 14 days in a row. In Jokkmokk, Lappland, the heatwave lasted for 15 days.

“To find a longer period at these stations, you have to go back more than a century,” said Sverker Hellström, a scientist at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.

Blistering heat swept northern Europe in mid-July, driven by hot waters off the Norwegian northern coast and a stubborn area of high pressure that brought temperatures in the Nordics 8-10C above seasonal norms. The region has also since been hit by storms and lightning strikes that have sparked wildfires.

The hot weather has taken people by surprise in a part of the continent better adapted to the cold. Researchers have found that countries such as the UK, Norway and Switzerland will face the greatest relative rise in uncomfortably hot days as the planet heats up, and have warned that their infrastructure is not well-suited to cope.

On Wednesday, an ice rink in northern Finland opened its doors to people seeking refuge from the heat after they overfilled the local hospital’s emergency room, according to Finnish media. On Thursday, herders warned that their reindeer were on the verge of dying in the heat.

Swedish radio reported that foreign tourists heading north to Scandinavia for “coolcations” had instead encountered dangerous heat warnings.

“As climate change progresses, exceptionally severe heatwaves will intensify,” said Heikki Tuomenvirta, a scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. “They are occurring more frequently, are more severe and last longer.”