Former head of crypto platform Celsius sentenced 12 years


By AFP
May 8, 2025


Founder and former CEO of crypto lender Celsius Alexander Mashinsky has been sentenced to 12 years in prison on fraud charges 

- Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File David Dee Delgado

The founder and former CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency trading platform Celsius, Alexander Mashinsky, was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison on fraud charges.

Mashinsky, 50, pleaded guilty last December to securities fraud in a deal that reduced the level of charges he faced.

The sentence comes down nearly three years after the startup’s collapse as a cryptocurrency platform, which offered customers the ability to invest in digital currencies, including its own coin, CEL.

According to the indictment, Celsius executives took more than $4 billion in customers’ assets to finance the platform’s operations, make unsecured loans and invest in high-risk items.

Mashinsky was also accused of manipulating the price of CEL by using customers’ funds to purchase the currency, artificially inflating its price.

At its peak in late 2021, Celsius had more than one million clients and held more than $25 billion in assets.

But the company hit hard times in the spring of 2022 as the value of cryptocurrencies plummeted.

Facing deep customer withdrawals, Celsius on June 12, 2022 froze over $4.7 billion in customer accounts before filing for bankruptcy protection a month later.

A progress report published in March found that 93 percent of the frozen assets had been recovered and returned to former Celsius customers.

The 2022 cryptocurrency collapse affected a number of other startups in the field, including FTX, the second-largest crypto exchange that filed for bankruptcy in November 2022.

Nearing 100, Malaysian ex-PM Mahathir blasts ‘old world’ Trump


By AFP
May 8, 2025


Ex-Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is giving President Donald Trump three months before Americans force him to rethink his global tariff strategy - Copyright AFP JADE GAO

Isabelle LEONG and Jan HENNOP

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is giving President Donald Trump three months before his fellow Americans force him to rethink his stringent global tariff strategy, accusing the US leader of “living in an old world”.

Speaking to AFP in an interview two months ahead of his 100th birthday, the plain-speaking Mahathir said: “Trump will find that his tariffs are hurting America, and the people in America will end up against him.”

The US president’s stop-start tariff rollout will hit Asian nations hard — including Malaysia, which faces a 24 percent levy in July unless the two countries can strike a deal.

“It’s going to cause America a lot of problems, so I give Trump three months,” said Mahathir, who ruled Malaysia in two stints lasting nearly a quarter of a century.

Still working a five-day week from his office in the administrative capital Putrajaya, the sprightly nonagenarian remains as outspoken as ever.

“Donald Trump is irrational. I don’t think he thinks carefully about what he’s doing,” said Mahathir.

“His policies on migration — and also trying to reduce the cost of government, sacking thousands of people — all these things are not good.

“It will not make America great,” he said, taking a jab at Trump’s MAGA election slogan.

Asked what he thought of some of Trump’s foreign policies — proposing to take over Greenland and seize control of the Panama Canal — Mahathir said the US leader was “living in an old world”.



– ‘Cannot stop China’ –



Throughout his long career, Mahathir was a proponent of a “Look East” policy — pushing Malaysians to find solutions in Asia rather than depending on Western nations.

As US tariffs loom, Mahathir has not changed his mind.

China has taken the brunt of the US president’s combative trade policies with 145 percent tariffs on many goods.

President Xi Jinping recently visited Malaysia, part of a three-stop tour to Southeast Asia, where the Chinese leader called for closer cooperation between the two nations.

“You cannot just stop China because its ability, its capacity is the same as those of Western countries,” said Mahathir.

“We find that the US, which for some time has been lauding itself as the world’s first power, does not want to accept China’s development.”

Malaysia aimed to remain friendly towards both Washington and Beijing, the veteran politician said.

“We don’t want to quarrel with China, but we don’t want to quarrel with America either,” he added.

“Malaysia’s policy is to be friendly with all countries.”

Mahathir, one of the 20th century’s last post-colonial stalwarts, will celebrate his birthday on July 10.

The former leader has been battling health problems, most recently when he was hospitalised after contracting a respiratory infection.

He spent nearly three months in hospital during another stay last year.

Although no longer in power — his fragile coalition which included long-time political foe and current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim collapsed in 2020 — Mahathir’s views still carry much weight at home and across the region.

But asked what he thought was his most important legacy, Mahathir said it was “for others” to judge.

Japan’s Panasonic targets 10,000 job cuts worldwide


By AFP
May 9, 2025


Panasonic became a global household name in the latter half of the 20th century - Copyright AFP Philip FONG

Hiroshi HIYAMA

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic, which supplies batteries to Tesla, said Friday it will target 10,000 job cuts worldwide as part of efforts to boost profitability.

The cuts, which represent around four percent of the group’s workforce of nearly 230,000, will be implemented mainly in the current financial year to March, it said.

Panasonic said it would “thoroughly review operational efficiency at each group company, mainly in sales and indirect departments”.

It will “reevaluate the numbers of organisations and personnel actually needed”, a statement said.

“This measure targets 10,000 employees (5,000 in Japan and 5,000 overseas) at consolidated companies,” and will be executed “in accordance with the labour laws, rules, and regulations of each country and region”.

Panasonic became a global household name in the latter half of the 20th century, pioneering electronic appliances from rice cookers to televisions to video recorders.

The Osaka-based conglomerate is a major battery supplier for Elon Musk’s US electric vehicle maker Tesla, and also operates in the housing, energy and auto sectors.

Panasonic in February outlined a management reform programme to resolve “various structural issues” at the company.

“Through the current management reform, the company aims to improve profit by at least 150 billion yen ($1 billion),” it said Friday.

In its full-year earnings report, also released Friday, Panasonic forecast a 15 percent decline in net profit this year, and an eight percent slump in sales.

In the financial year to March 31, 2025, the group logged a 17.5 percent decline in net profit to 366 billion yen.

Panasonic is facing “ongoing business environment changes (such as) a slowdown in demand for EVs”, it said.

As for US trade tariffs, “their impact is not factored into this forecast”, Panasonic added.

“The company continues to monitor the tariff situation and aims to minimize the resulting impact by taking measures from both short-term and medium- to long-term perspectives.”

In an interview published in April, Panasonic Holdings CEO Yuki Kusumi told Japan’s Nikkei newspaper that personnel cuts would be necessary, without detailing their scale.

Job cuts would be needed “in order for us to perform at a competitive level against other firms”, he told the Nikkei.

In Panasonic’s history, the group has also gradually expanded its headcount during profitable periods, Kusumi stressed.

From blockades to ballots: Serbian students confront government


By AFP
May 9, 2025


The country has been shaken by months of protests sparked by the deadly collapse of a newly renovated railway station roof in Novi Sad in November -- a tragedy widely seen as the result of deep-rooted corruption - Copyright AFP/File OLIVER BUNIC

Ognjen ZORIC, Anne-Sophie LABADIE

Serbian students leading an anti-corruption movement that has rocked the Balkan country for months maintained the pressure Friday with a march in the western city of Loznica — the first major protest since their call for early elections.

Many arrived the night before on foot from across Serbia and were welcomed by residents with flags and fireworks.

The country has been shaken by months of protests sparked by the deaths of 16 people when a newly renovated railway station roof collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad in November — a tragedy widely seen as the result of deep-rooted corruption.

Students have blocked universities, streets and roads, marched across Serbia, cycled to Strasbourg, and run to Brussels — all while remaining nonpartisan in their message.

These actions have “helped raise awareness” and “reached parts of the public that the political opposition had never reached”, Dusan Vucicevic, a University of Belgrade political science professor, told AFP.

But as demonstrations have escalated, “people have been waiting for some political articulation,” he added, referring to tactics.

Earlier this week, students shifted gears and called for early parliamentary elections.

“We came to the point where we realised that this government is not going to fulfil our demands. This has lasted for almost six months, and they are acting like we don’t exist,” Andjela, a Belgrade Academy student, told AFP.

Students have demanded accountability for the tragedy, prosecution of those who attacked protesters, dismissal of charges against arrested students, and an investigation into the alleged use of a sound cannon during a demonstration in March.



– Looming polls –



Facing the greatest challenge of his 12-year rule, the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has oscillated between calls for dialogue and accusations that the students are backed by foreign powers seeking a “colour revolution.”

Commenting on their demand for elections, he said Wednesday that students “won’t wait long” — though he offered no date.

Students have already begun preparing with a list of candidates they would support, which they say “would unite the largest number of Serbian citizens” by featuring the names of eminent individuals rather than politicians.

“Students won’t be candidates. It will be people we trust,” Andjela said, adding that a criteria for prospective candidates was still being established.

Vucicevic said the students’ strength lies in their emotional connection with the public, as well as in the fact that their “demands are political but not party-driven”.

“They focus on respect for law, social justice, and political accountability — universal values that resonate widely,” Vucicevic said.



– Public trust –



Most opposition parties — ranging from the left to the centre — have said they will support the students’ demands and assist them in organising.

However, parties have stated whether they would pull candidates in favour of the students’ preferred nominees.

Vucicevic pointed out that the opposition struggles with public trust — partly as a result of smear campaigns led by the government and pro-government media.

But students are shifting voter perception.

“Many anti-Vucic voters voted not for the opposition but against Vucic. In contrast, the student movement is growing a base of pro-student voters,” the political scientist said.

Parliamentary elections were last held in December 2023, with the ruling nationalist party claiming victory amid fraud allegations dismissed by Vucic.

The united opposition won 23.5 percent of the vote.

Protests have since prompted the prime minister’s resignation and the government’s fall.

A new government, led by a political novice and medical doctor, was elected by parliament in mid-April.

Activists hold ‘die-in’ protest at Soviet monument in Warsaw

"Russia is a terrorist state,” 

By AFP
May 9, 2025


The Russian ambassador walked past the protesters amid a heavy police presence - Copyright AFP/File OLIVER BUNIC

Magdalena PACIOREK

Pro-Ukrainian activists held a protest at a Soviet memorial in Warsaw where Moscow’s ambassador placed a wreath on Friday, as Russia celebrates World War II Victory Day.

Some two dozen protesters wrapped in white sheets, their clothes and faces splattered with a red substance imitating blood, lay at the foot of a monument at the cemetery for Soviet soldiers in Poland’s capital.

They chanted “terrorists” as Russia’s ambassador to Poland, Sergei Andreyev, made his way to the monument with a wreath to commemorate the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany.

“The idea was that the path the ambassador would take to reach the monument would be lined with the graves of people who died innocently during the war” in Ukraine, Miroslaw Petryga, 70, who participated in the lie-in, told AFP.

Poland is a staunch ally of Kyiv, supporting Ukraine with military and political aid as it fends off a Russian invasion that is grinding through its fourth year.

“It was the gait of a man pretending not to see anything, with tunnel vision,” Petryga, a Ukrainian engineer who has lived in Poland for decades, said of Andreyev.

The ambassador walked past the protesters amid a heavy police presence and with a handful of supporters and security guards around him.



– ‘Make Russia small again’ –



The activists also scattered children’s toys at the entrance to the cemetery. The teddy bears, balls and other items were also splattered with a blood-like liquid to symbolise child victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Some were wearing t-shirts with the slogan “Make Russia small again” and were collecting signatures under a petition to expel the Russian ambassador from Poland.

At the site, around a dozen people also gathered at a counter protest, wearing the St George ribbon, a historical symbol of Russian and Soviet military successes.

Minor scuffles and verbal altercations broke out between the groups.

A handful of people also showed up to lay flowers at the cemetery away from the protests.

“We should honour the memory of those soldiers who died in the World War,” said Natalia, a 67-year-old who held a black-and-white photo that she said showed her father who had fought in the war.

The Russian citizen and longtime Polish resident declined to give her full name.

– ‘Terrorist state’ –



In 2022, the year Russia launched the full-scale war, protesters at the Soviet mausoleum threw a red substance at Moscow’s envoy.

A year later Andreyev was blocked by activists from laying flowers at the monument.

The Kremlin is using its annual Victory Day parade in Moscow — marking 80 years since the end of World War II — to whip up patriotism at home and project strength abroad as its troops fight in Ukraine.

But for Natalia Panchenko from the pro-Ukrainian organisation Euromaidan, the day should serve as a reminder of Russia’s ongoing war.

“It is important to us that today, when people remember that there is a country called Russia, they do not remember Russia through Russian propaganda, but remember the real Russia,” Panchenko told AFP.

“And Russia is a terrorist state,” she said.

REST IN POWER

Groundbreaking Cameroonian curator Kouoh dies: Cape Town art museum


By AFP
May 10, 2025


The Venice Biennale said it was 'deeply saddened and dismayed' to learn of Kouoh's 'sudden and untimely passing' - Copyright AFP Arun SANKAR

Cameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh, the head of the biggest contemporary art museum in Africa and first African woman appointed to lead the Venice Biennale, has died Saturday, the Zeitz MOCAA museum said.

Born in 1967, Kouoh had headed the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), in South Africa’s capital Cape Town, since 2019.

She was chosen last year to curate the next Biennale — one of the world’s most important contemporary art shows — opening in May 2026.

The Zeitz MOCAA “received news in the early hours of this morning, of the sudden passing of Koyo Kouoh, our beloved Executive Director and Chief Curator”, the museum said on social media.

The Venice Biennale said in a statement it was “deeply saddened and dismayed” to learn of Kouoh’s “sudden and untimely passing”.

“Her passing leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art,” it said, adding that Kouoh had been set to present the 2026 Biennale’s title and theme in Venice on May 20 this year.

Born in 1967 and brought up between the Cameroon coastal city of Douala and Switzerland, Kouoh positioned the Zeitz MOCAA at the cutting edge of contemporary art by championing Pan-Africanism and promoting artists from the continent and its diaspora.

“Africa is for me an idea that goes beyond borders. It’s a history that goes beyond borders,” she told AFP in an interview in 2023.

When announcing her appointment to lead the legendary Venitian art show, Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco had hailed her as a “curator, scholar and influential public figure” who would bring the “most refined, young and disruptive intelligences” to the sprawling 130-year-old exhibition.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday expressed her “deep sorrow” for the curator’s “premature” death.

MAGA WAR ON LITERACY
Trump fires librarian of US Congress

ANTI DEI IS RACIST, SEXIST AND HOMOPHOBIC


By AFP
May 9, 2025


Fired librarian of Congress Carla Hayden was appointed in 2016 

- Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP POOL

US President Donald Trump has fired the country’s top librarian, his spokeswoman confirmed Friday, cutting short the term of the only woman and first African American to take on the role.

The White House accused librarian of Congress Carla Hayden of introducing “concerning” initiatives to bolster diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and “putting inappropriate books in the library for children.”

“(We) don’t believe that she was serving the interests of the American taxpayer well, so she has been removed from her position and the president is well within his rights to do that,” Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

But the move sparked a furious backlash from Democrats, who accused Trump of trying to silence opposing views.

Hakeem Jeffries, who leads the Democrats in the House of Representatives, called Hayden’s dismissal “a disgrace and the latest in (Trump’s) ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history and turn back the clock.”

“The Library of Congress is the People’s Library. There will be accountability for this unprecedented assault on the American way of life sooner rather than later,” he said in a statement.

New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich praised Hayden for running a library that was “accessible to all Americans, in person and online.”

“While President Trump wants to ban books and tell Americans what to read — or not to read at all — Dr. Hayden has devoted her career to making reading and the pursuit of knowledge available to everyone,” he said.

Hayden was nominated to manage the world’s largest library in 2016 but has been criticized by conservatives, including members of the American Accountability Foundation lobby group, which has accused her of seeking to “indoctrinate America’s children with radical sexual ideologies.”

“Carla Hayden is woke, anti-Trump, and promotes trans-ing kids,” the group posted on social media hours ahead of the librarian’s firing. “It’s time to get her OUT and hire a new guy for the job!”

Hayden’s 10-year term was set to expire next year.

The Library of Congress provides research and information for the legislative process as well as managing a vast collection of books, films, audio recordings and other materials.

The librarian of Congress is responsible for setting policy and managing staff, while also overseeing the US Copyright Office and appointing the poet laureate.

The library did not respond to a request for comment.

'Absolute disgrace': Outrage as Trump fires 'American hero' with 2-sentence email

Jake Johnsonand
Common Dreams

May 10, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump sparked widespread outrage Thursday by abruptly firing Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden with a two-sentence email sent by the White House's deputy director of presidential personnel.

According to her bio, Hayden was the first woman and first African American to lead the national library, which is the largest in the world and home to more than 178 million items—from books to photographs to primary historical documents.

Hayden was also the first professional librarian appointed to the role in decades, The Washington Post noted. She was nominated for a 10-year term in 2016 by then-President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support.

Her sudden termination was met with fury, with education advocates, civil rights campaigners, and Democratic lawmakers condemning the firing as yet another Trump administration attack on a cherished public institution.

"This is an absolute disgrace," civil rights attorney ‪Sherrilyn Ifill wrote in response to the news. "Dr. Hayden is a consummate professional, career librarian, and public servant. I cannot think of anyone in the Trump administration who is fit to address the Librarian of Congress in this way."

"This move undermines the foundational principles of our democracy and erodes public trust in our institutions."

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT.) said in a scathing statement that "this is yet another example in the disturbing pattern of the President removing dedicated public servants without cause—likely to fill the position with one of his 'friends' who is not qualified and does not care about protecting America's legacy."

"Dr. Hayden's tenure has been marked by a steadfast commitment to accessibility, modernization, and the democratization of knowledge," said DeLauro. "Her dismissal is not just an affront to her historic service but a direct attack on the independence of one of our most revered institutions."

"This move undermines the foundational principles of our democracy and erodes public trust in our institutions," DeLauro added. "The Trump administration must provide a transparent explanation for this decision. I urge my colleagues in Congress—especially the Republicans who benefited from Dr. Hayden's work—to stand united in defending the integrity of the Library of Congress."

Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House panel that oversees the Library of Congress, called Hayden "an American hero" who "has spent her entire career serving people—from helping kids learn to read to protecting some of our nation's most precious treasures."

"President Trump's ignorant decision will impact America's libraries, our copyrighted economic interests, and service to the American people by threatening support for Congress. His decision is a complete disgrace," added Morelle, who vowed to introduce legislation guaranteeing that the Librarian of Congress is appointed by lawmakers, not the president.

Trump fired Hayden hours after the right-wing American Accountability Foundation urged the president to terminate her, claiming she is "woke" and "anti-Trump." The group celebrated her termination in a post on X late Thursday.

Mixed picture for UK wage data leading up to 2030

 Areas of the UK have actually seen salaries fall by as much as 16.6 percent in the past year

By Dr. Tim Sandle
May 10, 2025

DIGITAL JOURNAL


Construction at a factory. — Image by © Tim Sandle.

Average earnings forecast for the UK shows wages set to climb by 15 percent by 2030 – but not everywhere is seeing positive growth. During the recent Spring Statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves stated that millions of UK workers are set to receive a £1,400-a-year boost to their earnings as a 6.7 percent increase to the National Living Wage kicks-in from April onwards.

Is this the complete story? A new insight from The Global Payroll Association (GPA), reveals that despite the UK’s overall picture showing that earnings are on the rise, 23 local areas of the UK have actually seen salaries fall by as much as 16.6 percent in the past year.

The analysis of average annual earnings data for the UK shows that wages have been increasing steadily over the last decade, increasing every year since 2005, other than 2021 when they fell by a marginal minus 0.7 percent. Within this data set, the largest annual rate of growth came last year (2024), when the average earnings climbed by 8 percent to £38,224 and the GPA forecasts that this figure could climb by a further 15 percent by 2030 – increasing to £43,834 (2030).

Difference and division

Despite this top line positivity, not every area of the UK is seeing positive growth and a more granular analysis of earnings data at local authority level, conducted by the GPA, shows that no less than 23 local authorities have seen earnings decline over the last year – including five London boroughs.

Moreover, wage inequality between occupations remains strong, with divisions by gender and class, reflective of variations in labour power between occupational groups. Trade union membership is an important factor in raising wage levels where occupations are unionised.

Sent to Coventry

In terms of regional variations, between 2023 and 2024, the biggest drop in salary was recorded in Coventry where average earnings fell by 17 percent from £39,800 to £33,182. Mid Sussex saw a drop of 7 percent, followed by Boston at 6 percent and Gravesham at 5 percent.

Drops are also predicted for Colchester (-4.2%), Moray (-4.2%), Stroud (-4.1%), Hammersmith & Fulham (-4%), Lambeth (-3.9%), and the New Forest (-3.8%).

Other comparative data

The other Local Authority districts to see salaries decline are Tower Hamlets (-3.5%), Bracknell Forest (-3.3%), Hillingdon (-2.4%), West Dunbartonshire (-1.6%), Staffordshire Moorlands (-1.6%), Bromley (-1.6%), Hinckley & Bosworth (-1.5%), Castle Point (-1.2%), Tandridge (-1.2%), Derbyshire Dales (-0.9%), East Renfrewshire (-0.6%), Worcester (-0.2%), and High Peak (-0.1%).

Melanie Pizzey, CEO and Founder of the Global Payroll Association tells Digital Journal: “At the very top line, UK workers have enjoyed a decade of consistent earnings growth, with the biggest annual boost coming last year. This growth is forecast to continue through to 2030, however, not every area of the nation is enjoying the same positive upward trends.”

Op-Ed: The dead make a deal — UK and US put lipstick on tariffs


By Paul Wallis
May 9, 2025


US automakers are critical of a new trade deal that favors British automakers, which was announced with a press event with US President Donald Trump shaking hands with British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson at the White House - Copyright AFP Jim WATSON

Two of the world’s most politically battered economies, the Brexit-maimed UK and the Trump-addled US, have made a deal on trade. The deal looks more like a restaurant bill than a major step in any direction for either party.

This deal is literally just a 6 bullet point list that fits nicely into a paragraph, see this link for details.

A critique is in order.

Britain can now export 100,000 cars to the US at lower tariffs for some vehicles. You’d think Santa Claus had arrived early. The media is beating up this deal ad nauseam. Most British cars are manufactured under license from foreign makers. 100,000 vehicles is barely a teaspoon in the US market with its high turnover.

British steel is now tariff-free. The much shrivelled and shrunken British steel industry is no doubt in raptures. It doesn’t have anything like the production capacity to make any sort of impression in the US market.

The UK is expected to buy $10 billion worth of Boeing aircraft “in return” for tariff-free exports of US plane parts to Britain. It’s anyone’s guess how this equates to any sort of positive deal for Britain.

There will be “reciprocal” access for beef between the US and the UK. It’s a matter of opinion whether either market can afford beef at retail prices.

There will be “further talks” on pharmaceuticals. The decaying carcasses of the UK and US health sectors and their murderous domestic environments apparently aren’t under consideration for relief for the users of these pharmaceuticals. They need more than a slightly cheaper aspirin.

This triumphant farce is supposed to be the epitome of top-level international trade negotiations. Trump needed to make a deal with someone to shore up the damage from the tariffs. Starmer needed to make a deal with anyone because Brexit has effectively crippled British trade. These lip service level terms of trade don’t really make that much of an impression.

Compare this ludicrous situation to the hyper boom times when both Britain and the US dominated their markets. The US and UK are dying by inches, documented by press releases. Both have been politically suffocated in terms of trade.

Even in the 19th century, these trade arrangements would have seemed absurd at best. The solution is to get these geriatric gargoyles out of trade. That’s not likely to happen anytime soon.

It’s like Granny has returned at gunpoint from the grave and left a postcard in the ruins.

_____________________________________________

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

‘Pragmatic’ approach could reap ‘ambitious’ UK-EU deal: Starmer


By AFP
May 10, 2025


Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is looking to deepen ties with the EU 

- Copyright AFP WANG Zhao

A “pragmatic” approach to talks on food standards, youth mobility and European courts could yield an “ambitious” post-Brexit deal between the EU and UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an interview published Saturday by The Guardian newspaper.

London and Brussels are hopeful of signing a deal at the first UK-EU summit since Brexit, which will take place in the British capital on May 19.

However, Labour’s drubbing by the anti-EU Reform UK party in recent local elections and critical reaction to a trade deal agreed this week with India could lead London to take a more cautious approach, The Guardian reported.

Despite the potential for domestic criticism, Starmer suggested to the paper that the UK was prepared to align with the EU on food standards as part of the deal, saying: “We do not want to lower our standards on food.

“I think that British people are proud of the high standards that we have, and we want to maintain those standards,” he said, adding the government would take a “serious, pragmatic” approach to talks.

Significantly, he accepted that the European Court of Justice would be involved in resolving disputes, pointing out that it already has a role as part of the existing agreement that deals with Northern Ireland.

– Youth mobility scheme –

Defence Secretary John Healey also told the BBC on Friday that London was willing to pay for UK companies to gain access to lucrative EU defence spending programmes.

“We are prepared to pay our fair share but we want to have a say in the programmes, while retaining UK intellectual property and export opportunities,” he said.

One of the most controversial elements of a new deal is a potential youth mobility scheme, which would remove restrictions on young people moving between the UK and EU.

Minister for EU relations Nick Thomas-Symonds said this week the government was exploring the scheme, and Starmer, when asked about the subject, told The Guardian that “we’re pragmatists, and that’s the approach that we bring to these negotiations”.

Immigration was a key reason behind the 2016 vote to leave the European Union and the government has vowed there will be no return to free of movement of people.

While authorising young people in the EU and in Britain to spend a certain period working or studying in the other territory is removed from the free-movement principle that exists within the EU, it is likely to be seized upon by Reform UK.

That party, and its anti-immigration leader Nigel Farage, are currently riding high in the polls.

The newspaper said EU diplomats were concerned that domestic concerns were curbing London’s desire for a quick deal, with one saying that “everyone is very sensitive to how a closer relationship lands in the UK”.

But Starmer insisted he was “ambitious about what we can achieve” and that “I want a closer relationship on security, on defence, on trade and on the economy.

“Let’s look forward, not back. Let’s recognise we’re living in a different world. We’re in a new era on security and defence. Equally, we’re in a new era on trade and the economy now,” he added.

Global temperatures stuck at near-record highs in April: EU monitor


ByAFP
May 8, 2025


Scientists are unanimous that Earth's climate is changing because of human activity and that global warming is making extreme weather more frequent and intense - Copyright AFP Jim WATSON

Nick PERRY and Benjamin LEGENDRE

Global temperatures were stuck at near-record highs in April, the EU’s climate monitor said on Thursday, extending an unprecedented heat streak and raising questions about how quickly the world might be warming.

The extraordinary heat spell was expected to subside as warmer El Nino conditions faded last year, but temperatures have stubbornly remained at record or near-record levels well into this year.

“And then comes 2025, when we should be settling back, and instead we are remaining at this accelerated step-change in warming,” said Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

“And we seem to be stuck there. What this is caused (by) — what is explaining it — is not entirely resolved, but it’s a very worrying sign,” he told AFP.

In its latest bulletin, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said that April was the second-hottest in its dataset, which draws on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations.

All but one of the last 22 months exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the warming limit enshrined in the Paris agreement, beyond which major and lasting climate and environmental changes become more likely.

– Missed target –

Many scientists believe this target is no longer attainable and will be crossed in a matter of years.

A large study by dozens of pre-eminent climate scientists, which has not yet been peer reviewed, recently concluded that global warming reached 1.36C in 2024.

Copernicus puts the current figure at 1.39C and projects 1.5C could be reached in mid 2029 or sooner based on the warming trend over the last 30 years.

“Now it’s in four years’ time. The reality is we will exceed 1.5 degrees,” said Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which runs Copernicus.

“The critical thing is to then not latch onto two degrees, but to focus on 1.51,” the climate scientist told AFP.

Julien Cattiaux, a climate scientist at the French research institute CNRS, said 1.5C “would be beaten before 2030” but that was not a reason to give up.

“It’s true that the figures we’re giving are alarming: the current rate of warming is high. They say every 10th of a degree counts, but right now, they’re passing quickly,” he told AFP.

“Despite everything, we mustn’t let that hinder action.”

– ‘Exceptional’ –

Scientists are unanimous that burning fossil fuels has largely driven long-term global warming that has made extreme weather disasters more frequent and intense.

But they are less certain about what else might have contributed to this persistent heat event.

Experts think changes in global cloud patterns, airborne pollution and Earth’s ability to store carbon in natural sinks like forests and oceans, could be factors also contributing to the planet overheating.

The surge pushed 2023 and then 2024 to become the hottest years on record, with 2025 tipped to be third.

“The last two years… have been exceptional,” said Burgess.

“They’re still within the boundary — or the envelope — of what climate models predicted we could be in right now. But we’re at the upper end of that envelope.”

She said that “the current rate of warming has accelerated but whether that’s true over the long term, I’m not comfortable saying that”, adding that more data was needed.

Copernicus records go back to 1940 but other sources of climate data — such as ice cores, tree rings and coral skeletons — allow scientists to expand their conclusions using evidence from much further into the past.

Scientists say the current period is likely to be the warmest the Earth has been for the last 125,000 years.

Measles roars back in the US, topping 1,000 cases


By AFP

May 9, 2025


Administering the measles vaccine to a child at a health center in Lubbock, Texas - Copyright AFP/File RONALDO SCHEMIDT

Issam AHMED

The United States’ measles outbreak has surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases with three deaths so far, state and local data showed Friday, marking a stark resurgence of a vaccine-preventable disease that the nation once declared eliminated.

The surge comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to undermine confidence in the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine — a highly effective shot he has falsely claimed is dangerous and contains fetal debris.

An AFP tally showed there have been at least 1,012 cases since the start of the year, with Texas accounting for more than 70 percent.

A vaccine-skeptical Mennonite Christian community straddling the Texas–New Mexico border has been hit particularly hard.

A federal database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lagged behind state and county reporting, as the globally renowned health agency faces deep workforce and budget cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration.

North Dakota is the latest state to report an outbreak, with nine cases so far. Around 180 school students have been forced to quarantine at home, according to the North Dakota Monitor.

“This is a virus that’s the most contagious infectious disease of mankind and it’s now spreading like wildfire,” Paul Offit a pediatrician and vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia told AFP.

He warned the true case count could be far higher, as people shy away from seeking medical attention. “Those three deaths equal the total number of deaths from measles in the last 25 years in this country.”

The fatalities so far include two young girls in Texas and an adult in New Mexico, all unvaccinated — making it the deadliest US measles outbreak in decades.

It is also the highest number of cases since 2019, when outbreaks in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey resulted in 1,274 infections but no deaths.

– Vaccine misinformation –

Nationwide immunization rates have been dropping in the United States, fueled by misinformation about vaccines, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The CDC recommends a 95 percent vaccination rate to maintain herd immunity.

However, measles vaccine coverage among kindergartners has dropped from 95.2 percent in the 2019–2020 school year to 92.7 percent in 2023–2024.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus spread through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or simply breathes.

Known for its characteristic rash, it poses a serious risk to unvaccinated individuals, including infants under 12 months who are not ordinarily eligible for vaccination, and those with weakened immune systems.

While measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, outbreaks persist each year.

Susan McLellan, an infectious disease professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch, slammed RFK Jr for his misleading messaging promoting remedies, including Vitamin A which has valid but limited uses, over vaccines.

“Saying we’re going to devote resources to studying therapies instead of enhancing uptake of the vaccine is a profoundly inefficient way of addressing a vaccine-preventable disease,” she told AFP.

McLellan added that the crisis reflects broader erosion in public trust in health authorities.

It is hard for an individual untrained in statistics to understand measles is a problem if they don’t personally see deaths around them, she said. “Believing population-based statistics takes a leap, and that’s public health.”

Ukrainian socialist: Five main problems with the US-Ukraine minerals eal

By Vitaliy Dudin

Published 9 May, 2025

First published in Ukrainian at Соціальний рух. Slightly updated by author and translated for LINKS International Journal of Socialist Renewal.

The minerals deal signed between Ukraine and the United States reflects US capital’s desire to gain unhindered access to Ukraine’s mineral resources. It also gives the US new leverage over Ukraine’s economic and political situation. In contrast, there are no obvious benefits for Ukraine, despite it ceding sovereignty.

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) voted on May 8 to ratify the so-called Mineral Deal. The Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the United States of America on the establishment of the American-Ukrainian Investment Fund for Reconstruction (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement or the Subsoil Agreement) was signed on April 30. 

US imperialism used Ukraine’s vulnerable position to impose a number of disadvantageous conditions. Despite the removal of some of the more oppressive conditions (such as “billing” Ukraine for military assistance already provided), it gives the US new leverage over the economic and political situation in Ukraine. 

At present, even its public defenders will not dare say that it promises prosperity or stability for Ukraine. The very question of representatives of a foreign country being able to exclusively determine the terms of exploitation of our subsoil (which is property of the Ukrainian people) is indignant. The beneficiaries of the agreement are US capital and, perhaps, a section of the Ukrainian oligarchy, but not Ukrainian working people.

However, it would be wrong to describe this agreement as an irreversible national catastrophe. Ukraine may yet free itself from the colonial yoke and renounce the Agreement in the future, if it rids itself of oligarchic capitalism and reasserts its sovereignty.

Regarding the Agreement, here are five main problems that should be considered:

1) The deal is based on inequality between parties. The parties agree to create an US-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund in the form of a limited partnership (hereinafter referred to as the Partnership). In terms of its content, the contract provides significantly more advantages for the US side than for the Ukrainian side. 

Article II of the Agreement, which effectively overrides Ukrainian legislation, is indicative: the norm limits the possibility of adopting laws that could negatively affect the Agreement’s implementation. Article III, regarding the need for institutional transformations consistent with “market principles,” can be viewed as veiled pressure to deepen neoliberal reforms. 

Profits arising from the deal will be exempt from taxes (Article IV) and companies will be able to send them overseas. Potential compensation for losses (indemnity) is only mentioned in the context of Ukraine’s obligations (Article V). Any investment projects in subsoil use or operation of significant infrastructure facilities can be implemented by notifying the Partnership (Article VII). If Ukraine needs to meet certain additional obligations to the EU, the parties to the Agreement must conduct “good faith consultations and negotiations” on taking them into account (Articles VII, VIII).

2) The proposed model will lead to the further primarization of the economy. The essence of the Agreement in economic terms is, among other things, that Ukraine and the US will jointly seek, explore and extract natural resources, while also attempting to attract investment in critically important sectors of the economy. The main focus in the eyes of US investors is simply extracting Ukraine’s natural minerals. 

This will push into the background the possibilities for mutually beneficial cooperation in rebuilding infrastructure or developing high-tech technologies. Social issues (working conditions in the extractive sector, sustainable development) were left out of the Agreement. After all, trade unions or environmental organizations did not participate in its discussion at all. 

Reconciling the interests of the development of the extractive industry with social priorities could have positive long-term consequences.

3) Secret diplomacy undermines the legitimacy of the Agreement. The final terms of the Agreement were kept secret until the last moment, which made public discussion on this issue impossible. Negotiations and preparations were done in secret, and the position of the Ukrainian government was kept unknown. The voting process to ratify the Agreement also took place in an atmosphere of non-transparency and in the shortest possible time. 

The Ukrainian public still lacks full information about the annexes to the Agreement (the so-called Limited Partnership Agreement). The Main Scientific and Expert Directorate did not express its assessment of the draft Law on Ratification (No. 0309), as not all related documents were attached to the Agreement.

4) The Agreement does not strengthen security, but limits sovereignty. During the war, Ukraine will not receive everything it needs from the US. This is clear from Donald Trump’s statements. But signing the Agreement confirms the idea that Ukraine will not be able to use its existing wealth as before. 

The signing of the Agreement is motivated by security considerations, but in reality it will not bring anything useful in this area. The promised military support is illusory (Article VI refers to the possibility of transferring weapons with the subsequent inclusion of their cost as  capital contribution by the US). 

One cannot help but notice how cautious the wording is regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war: recognition of Ukraine’s contribution to maintaining international peace by countering Russian aggression is not even mentioned.

5) The Agreement is a consequence of the inability of neoliberal authorities to mobilize resources. Ukraine is forced to resort to risky ways to attract investment precisely because of the fear of nationalizing strategic industries, introducing a progressive tax scale, and combating the shadow economy. 

The signing of an unequal agreement on future cooperation has been forced upon Ukraine due to its need to protect itself from Putin’s invasion. This Agreement is, after all, a logical result of the fact Ukrainian authorities proposed ​​developing subsoil resources to obtain foreign funds at the end of 2024. The blackmail by the US administration during negotiations over the Agreement shows how difficult it will be to push this process in the direction Ukraine requires.

The most important lessons we should draw from the current situation are the following: the context surrounding the Agreement will objectively contribute to dispelling illusions about the nature of US imperialism, and the idea that Ukrainian people should rely only on themselves will become even more entrenched. 

Ukraine’s minerals can benefit the people, but for this to occur authorities must implement a socialist economic model, in which the state controls the economy and redistributes wealth among the different social strata. 

In terms of international cooperation, there are opportunities to build equal relationships with the countries of Europe, which themselves are interested in seeing Ukraine strong and protected.

Vitaliy Dudin is a member of Соціальний рух (Social Movement).

 

From the front line : A Pakistani socialist looks at the India-Pakistan War 2025

By Farooq Tariq

Published 10 May, 2025

On the morning of May 7, when I answered my doorbell and went outside looking for who rang, my neighbour loudly asked me to turn off all my lights. This command signalled to me that we are living through a moment of war. 

Living near the Wahgha border, we heard a deafening noise around 8.30 am, followed by a blast. An Indian Harop drone, made by Israel, struck a close by military installation. We later heard four soldiers were injured.

Armed with a 50-pound warhead, the Harop uses its camera system to track and engage moving targets. The drone can fly for about six hours or about 600 miles after being launched from a truck.

Apart from those that hit targets near our homes, many of the Harop drones were brought down by Pakistani armed forces before they hit their targets. But in most cases, they fell on civilians.  Out of curiosity, hundreds of people then gathered to see where these drones were brought down. People seem to be worried but not panicked.

Many friends and comrades have asked if I think a full-fledged war is now erupting between two nuclear-armed neighbours. My reply has been that war has already started.

The Narendra Modi government launched “Operation Sindoor” to hit nine sites inside Pakistan. The intended targets were madrassas and mosques Modi believes are the base of religious terrorists. 

According to figures released by the Pakistani army, most of the 31 killed in the one-hour attack by more than 125 Indian jets were civilians, including children and women. There would have been more casualties had madrassas not evacuated just after the religious fundamentalist attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Twenty-six people, mainly tourists, were killed in the Pahalgam area on April 22.

At that time, my brothers and sisters encouraged me to move from my home in Lahore. I refused since there are military installations or cantonments in most Pakistani cities. In fact, unlike previous wars between Pakistan and India in 1965 and 1971, there has been no mass exodus from the cities.

This is first time Indian missiles have hit nine Pakistani cities. A violation of Pakistan sovereignty, it has been condemned by almost all of the country’s political groups from right to left. But unlike the right-wing political religious parties, most of the left groups demand an immediate halt to the war. Although much smaller in proportion to the Indian left, the Pakistani left was unanimous.

Unlike the mainstream Indian Communist parties who have given up any independence from Modi’s BJP government, there is no warmongering in Pakistan. A May 8 Gallup Pakistan survey reported the majority of Pakistanis are not in favour of war with India; they believe peace should be the goal under all circumstances. However, this may change when the war escalates.

This is second time India and Pakistan has engaged in full-fledge war despite having nuclear weapons. The other time was the Cargill war in 1999. India carried out its first nuclear test in May 1974, and in May 1998 conducted another five tests, declaring itself a nuclear weapon state. Pakistan carried out nuclear tests on May 28, 1998, thus officially becoming a nuclear state. In reality, it means nuclear weapons are not a deterrent to war.

Pakistan has an estimated 170 nuclear warheads, roughly equivalent to those in India. With such undeniably high stakes, India’s decision to strike inside Pakistan for the third time (2016, 2019 and now) reveals that the pride of having nuclear bombs is not a deterrent to war between the two.

Nuclear weapons are the most inhumane and indiscriminate weapons ever created. They violate international law, cause severe environmental damage, undermine national and global security and divert vast public resources away from meeting human needs. It is not a weapon of war but a weapon of total destruction. A single nuclear bomb detonated over a large city could kill millions of people.

While both countries bear responsibility for proxy warfare, the Modi regime has clearly instrumentalised the Pahalgam tragedy to divert from its failures in Kashmir, boost domestic popularity and advance strategic goals regarding the Indus River system and regional hegemony.

Pakistan is accused of supporting the terrorist group responsible for the terrible loss of lives in Pahalgam. However, the present realities paint a different picture. 

Although there is no doubt the Pakistan government supported and promoted religious fanatic groups for decades after Afghanistan’s Saur revolution in 1978, this was with the wishes and whims of US imperialism. 

Since 2022, when the Imran Khan government was dissolved after a vote of no confidence, the military establishment and these fanatic groups has been at odds. There has been an escalation of attacks by fanatics on Pakistan state institutions since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan supports the Pakistani Taliban in its attempts to capture the government. The Pakistani Taliban has carried out bomb blasts, suicidal attacks, occupied areas and forced people to support them. They were strengthened by the Afghan Taliban who gave them NATO weapons left behind when the US left Afghanistan.

In 2024, Pakistan experienced one of its most violent years in more than a decade. Religious fanatics took control of several areas of Pakhtunkhwa province. The Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) inflicted attacks and causalities on the Pakistan armed forces almost every day. 

Contrary to cooperating with each other, there are now open hostilities. The Pakistani state no longer supports these fanatic groups, who now rely on the Afghan Taliban.

Of course, there are religious fanatic groups still active in Indian-occupied Kashmir. There are questions about the extent of support that might still be lent to them. But it is difficult to believe the current Pakistani government had anything to do with the April 2025 attack. 

The Pahalgam terrorist attack seems to have been the act of an independent religious fanatic group.

The danger is the war could linger on. Both governments have claimed victory. But if it were to continue, it will not be like the ones in 1965 and 1971, when ground forces fought each other. 

Instead, India is using the same tactics as Israel uses in Gaza. Missiles and drone attacks could destroy infrastructure; only after that might India introduce ground forces. But Pakistan is not Palestine. It has a large, well-trained and equipped army, though it lacks the modern weapons India has. 

Clearly the situation is very volatile and unstable. This means anything is possible.

What we do know is that war brings destruction and no one wins. Continuing the war will only result in more loss of lives. But if you listen to the Indian and Pakistani mainstream media, each side is claiming victory.

Durable peace requires respecting sovereignty, ending proxy warfare and demilitarising Kashmir. Any war between nuclear-armed nations would be catastrophic, regionally and globally. 

Progressive forces throughout South Asia must unite against war hysteria and work toward a peaceful future.

We demand an independent inquiry into the Pahalgam attack to establish facts and accountability.

Farooq Tariq is President of the Haqooq e Khalq Party and General secretary of the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee.

India, Pakistan reach ceasefire — but trade claims of violations


By AFP
May 10, 2025


A Pakistani man waves the national flag as people celebrate after the announcement of a ceasefire between Pakistan and India, in Hyderabad, Sindh province, on May 10, 2025 - Copyright AFP Husnain ALI

Shrouq TARIQ, with Parvaiz BUKHARI in Srinagar

India and Pakistan traded accusations of ceasefire violations early Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced that the nuclear-armed neighbours had stepped back from the brink of full-blown war.

India’s foreign secretary said Pakistan had committed “repeated violations” of the truce and that it was retaliating, while Pakistan said it “remains committed” to the ceasefire and that its forces were handling violations by India with “responsibility and restraint.”

Earlier, AFP staff in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir reported hearing a series of loud explosions. A senior official in Pakistani-run Kashmir told AFP that “intermittent exchange of fire is ongoing” across the de facto border in the contested region, the Line of Control (LoC).

More details were not immediately available, and it was not possible to independently verify the claims.

On Saturday, Pakistan and India had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after days of deadly jet fighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks which killed at least 60 people and saw thousands of civilians flee their homes along their border as well as in divided Kashmir.

The news had been surprisingly announced by Trump.

“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” Trump posted.

India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri had said earlier that both sides would “stop all firing and military action on land, air and sea” with effect from 5:00 pm (1130 GMT).

He later accused Pakistan of “repeated violations” and said the Indian armed forces “are giving an adequate and appropriate response.”

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry in Islamabad said Pakistan “remains committed to faithful implementation” of the truce.

Accusing India of committing its own violations, it said Pakistan’s forces “are handling the situation with responsibility and restraint.”

It called for ceasefire issues to be handled “through communication at appropriate levels” and urged troops on the ground to also exercise restraint.

On X, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country “appreciates” the US intervention.

“Pakistan believes this marks a new beginning in the resolution of issues that have plagued the region and prevented its journey toward peace, prosperity and stability,” he wrote.



– ‘Vigilant’ –



The conflict was touched off by an attack last month in the Indian-administered side of Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men, which Delhi blamed on Islamabad.

India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation — of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for an independent probe.

Militants have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked its limited autonomy and took the state under direct rule from New Delhi.

The countries have fought several wars over the territory, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.

“The ceasefire is a positive step,” said Bilal Shabbir, an IT consultant in Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, before the claims the truce had been violated.

“In war, it’s not just soldiers who die, it’s mostly civilians — and in this case, it would have been the people of Kashmir.”

In Srinagar, resident Sukesh Khajuria was more cautious.

“The ceasefire is welcome, but it’s difficult to trust Pakistan. We have to be vigilant,” he said.

Both sides will pay a high price economically for the conflict.

Pakistani military sources claimed its forces had shot down at least 77 Israeli-made high-tech drones — debris from some of them was seen by AFP reporters — while Indian officials said they had destroyed hundreds of Pakistani drones, many Turkish-made.

Pakistan also says it downed five Indian warplanes — including three French Rafale fighter jets — although New Delhi has not confirmed any losses.

Independent verification of claims by either side has been difficult.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the ceasefire came after he and Vice President JD Vance engaged with senior officials on both sides.

Rubio also said on X that they had agreed to “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.”

News of the ceasefire was met with relief internationally, after increasing calls for both countries to step back from the brink.

China, which borders India and Pakistan, said Beijing was “willing to continue playing a constructive role” and remained concerned with any escalation, according to state-run news agency Xinhua, which said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had spoken to officials in both countries.

burs-st/ss

Panicked Indians flee Kashmir city on special train


By AFP
May 10, 2025


The panicked crowd scrambled to get on the train - Copyright AFP Money SHARMA

Arunabh SAIKIA

Desperate crowds fought Saturday to board a special train ferrying people out of Jammu in Indian Kashmir and away from the worst fighting with Pakistan in decades.

Baton-wielding policemen blew whistles to try and restore order as people — mostly poor workers from central and eastern India — furiously elbowed each other and hurled abuses to get on board.

The train, sent by the federal government, took those lucky enough to secure a place to the Indian capital New Delhi, about 600 kilometres (400 miles) south of Jammu, free of charge.

Karan Verma, 41, originally from Chhattisgarh in central India, has been a mason in Akhnoor near Jammu for two decades and thought of it as home.

But now he wants out at any cost.

“There are loud explosions the entire night,” he said. “There is no choice but to leave.”

Some people lifted babies and young children and flung them to family members who had managed to beat the crowd and board.

“There should be more trains,” said Suresh Kumar, 43, from Madhya Pradesh state, dragging his brother away from a fight with another passenger.

Nisha Devi, her three children and her husband could not get a space on the train to return to the distant eastern state of Bihar, their home province.

“If I got on that train, it would have been like walking into a death trap with the children,” she said philosophically.



– Civilian deaths –



This latest bout of Indo-Pakistani fighting was touched off by an attack last month in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men.

The nuclear-armed rivals have fought several wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since independence from Britain in 1947.

India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation — of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied involvement.

Pakistan said it launched counterattacks on Saturday after India struck three of its air bases overnight following days of clashes involving fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery.

More than 60 civilians have been killed amid fears that the conflict will spiral into all-out war.

In a series of calls to senior officials in both countries, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged them to restore direct communication to “avoid miscalculation”.

Teklal Padmani Lala clung to metal bars at the entrance of one of the compartments as the special train prepared to depart Jammu.

“I will go like this the entire way till Delhi,” he said — and further if he has to.

Weary border residents in Indian Kashmir struggle to survive


By AFP
May 9, 2025


Mohammad Naseem, a hotel chef, said his neighbours laughed when he built a bunker under his home - Copyright AFP SAJJAD HUSSAIN
Parvaiz BUKHARI

Mohammad Naseem says his neighbours laughed when he borrowed money and built a concrete bunker under his home in a village near the disputed Kashmir border.

But this week when mortar bombs rained in Salamabad, 38 people — men, women, and children — huddled in it as about a dozen shells exploded outside in quick succession.

One of them destroyed Naseem’s home.

“Many of us would have died had we not moved into the bunker,” Naseem, a 34-year-old hotel chef, told AFP.

“We grabbed our children and rushed inside. It got so packed that after some time we felt suffocated, two of our children became unconscious,” he said.

“The children had to be hospitalised after daybreak when the shelling stopped.”

Other villagers hid behind rocks and bushes on the mountain slopes. Some watched their homes being reduced to rubble.

Deadly confrontations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan erupted after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an April 22 attack on tourists on the Indian-run side of the disputed territory, which killed 26 people.

Pakistan denies the charge.



– ‘Our life is worth nothing’ –



“We took our children out and went up the mountain slope holding them tightly as bombs exploded around us,” Naseer Ahmed Khan, 50, said outside his damaged house on Thursday.

“Our life is worth nothing. At any time entire families could be wiped out,” Khan said. “Our children are not able to sleep and we cannot have a meal in peace.”

The exchange of heavy fire has destroyed or severely damaged dozens of homes in Uri, about 100 kilometres (66 miles) from the Kashmir capital Srinagar, forcing many to flee to safer areas in towns like Baramulla, about 50 kilometres away.

Sajjad Shafi, a local lawmaker told AFP that about 10 percent of Uri’s population — some 22,000 people — fled since the latest fighting began.

On Friday, many more were fleeing in buses and trucks provided by the government or driving off in their own cars.

“How can we stay here?” Rubina Begum said outside her destroyed home. “The government should lodge us somewhere safe”.

Begum’s daughter, Saima Talib, added: “We have nothing left except the clothes we are wearing”.

Displaced people are struggling to find food and work and many are now sheltering in government buildings in Uri.



– ‘Return empty’ –



Mohammad Lateef Bhat, a road construction worker, said: “I work as a labourer with army’s border roads organisation but their work also stopped.”

“This morning I came to the market looking for work but there is nothing,” Bhat said.

Some vegetable sellers briefly set up shop before closing.

Mohammad Bashir was also despondent.

“I came to the market to find some work so I can buy some food for my family (of eight) but there is nothing,” Bashir, 60, said.

The death toll from India and Pakistan’s biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each accusing the other of staging drone attacks in waves.

Farooq Ahmed Khan, 35, a bus driver from Sultandhaki village near the border, said “this fighting has made our life miserable.”

Nagni, a rare mixed settlement of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, sits on mountain slopes near the Indian army’s border headquarters in Uri.

Villagers say 35 of the 50 families there have fled.

Badal, a 22-year-old student who only gave his first name, was cleaning up after his sister’s wedding at his freshly painted home.



– ‘There should be war’ –



He showed a crater caused by a mortar bomb that landed a few metres away on the night of the wedding.

“Luckily there was no loss of life but a lot of damage. What we need.. is bunkers, but there are none”.

“This village has always been a target of Pakistani attacks in the past because the (Indian) army headquarters are nearby,” said Sahil Kumar, another Nagni resident.

Locals say they are fed up.

“I say there should be a war just to decide where Kashmir goes,” said Farooq Ahmed Khan, the bus driver.

“I will also go to fight in that war so that this trouble ends for good,” Khan said.