US tourist arrested for landing on forbidden Indian tribal island
Indian police said on Thursday they had arrested a US tourist who sneaked onto a highly restricted island carrying a coconut and a can of Diet Coke to a tribe untouched by the modern world.Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, set foot on the restricted territory of North Sentinel — part of India’s Andaman Islands — in a bid to meet the Sentinelese people, who are believed to number only around 150.All outsiders, Indians and foreigners alike, are banned from travelling within five kilometres (three miles) of the island to protect the Indigenous people from outside diseases and to preserve their way of life.”The American citizen was presented before the local court after his arrest and is now on a three-day remand for further interrogation,” Andaman and Nicobar Islands police chief HGS Dhaliwal told AFP.Satellite photographs show a coral reef-fringed island — stretching to some 10 kilometres (six miles) at its widest point — with thick forest and white sand beaches.The Sentinelese last made international headlines in 2018 after they killed John Allen Chau, 27, an American missionary who landed illegally on their beach.Chau’s body was not recovered and there were no investigations over his death because of the Indian law prohibiting anyone from going to the island.India sees the wider Andaman and Nicobar Islands as strategically sited on key global shipping lanes. They are closer to Myanmar than mainland India.New Delhi plans to invest at least $9 billion to expand naval and air bases, troop accommodations, the port and the main city in the region.- Bow and arrows -Dhaliwal said Polyakov kept blowing a whistle off the shore of North Sentinel Island for about an hour to attract the tribe’s attention before he went ashore.”He landed briefly for about five minutes, left the offerings on the shore, collected sand samples, and recorded a video before returning to his boat,” Dhaliwal said.”A review of his GoPro camera footage showed his entry and landing into the restricted North Sentinel Island.”Police said Polyakov was arrested late on Monday, about two days after he went ashore, and had visited the region twice in recent months.He first used an inflatable kayak in October 2024 but was stopped by hotel staff, police said on Thursday. Polyakov made another unsuccessful attempt during a visit in January 2025.This time Polyakov used another inflatable boat with a motor to travel the roughly 35 kilometres (22 miles) of open sea from the main archipelago.The Sentinelese, whose language and customs remain a mystery to outsiders, shun all contact and have a record of hostility to anyone who tries to get close.A photograph issued by the Indian Coast Guard and Survival International two decades ago showed a Sentinelese man aiming a bow and arrow at a passing helicopter.Indian authorities have prosecuted any locals who have aided attempts to enter the island and are trying to identify anyone who may have helped Polyakov.The Andamans are also home to the 400-strong Jarawa tribe, who activists say are also threatened by contact from outsiders. Tourists have previously bribed local officials in a bid to spend time with the Jarawa.
US tourist arrested for landing on forbidden Indian tribal island
Indian police said on Thursday they had arrested a US tourist who sneaked onto a highly restricted island carrying a coconut and a can of Diet Coke to a tribe untouched by the modern world.Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, set foot on the restricted territory of North Sentinel — part of India’s Andaman Islands — in a bid to meet the Sentinelese people, who are believed to number only around 150.All outsiders, Indians and foreigners alike, are banned from travelling within five kilometres (three miles) of the island to protect the Indigenous people from outside diseases and to preserve their way of life.”The American citizen was presented before the local court after his arrest and is now on a three-day remand for further interrogation,” Andaman and Nicobar Islands police chief HGS Dhaliwal told AFP.Satellite photographs show a coral reef-fringed island — stretching to some 10 kilometres (six miles) at its widest point — with thick forest and white sand beaches.The Sentinelese last made international headlines in 2018 after they killed John Allen Chau, 27, an American missionary who landed illegally on their beach.Chau’s body was not recovered and there were no investigations over his death because of the Indian law prohibiting anyone from going to the island.India sees the wider Andaman and Nicobar Islands as strategically sited on key global shipping lanes. They are closer to Myanmar than mainland India.New Delhi plans to invest at least $9 billion to expand naval and air bases, troop accommodations, the port and the main city in the region.- Bow and arrows -Dhaliwal said Polyakov kept blowing a whistle off the shore of North Sentinel Island for about an hour to attract the tribe’s attention before he went ashore.”He landed briefly for about five minutes, left the offerings on the shore, collected sand samples, and recorded a video before returning to his boat,” Dhaliwal said.”A review of his GoPro camera footage showed his entry and landing into the restricted North Sentinel Island.”Police said Polyakov was arrested late on Monday, about two days after he went ashore, and had visited the region twice in recent months.He first used an inflatable kayak in October 2024 but was stopped by hotel staff, police said on Thursday. Polyakov made another unsuccessful attempt during a visit in January 2025.This time Polyakov used another inflatable boat with a motor to travel the roughly 35 kilometres (22 miles) of open sea from the main archipelago.The Sentinelese, whose language and customs remain a mystery to outsiders, shun all contact and have a record of hostility to anyone who tries to get close.A photograph issued by the Indian Coast Guard and Survival International two decades ago showed a Sentinelese man aiming a bow and arrow at a passing helicopter.Indian authorities have prosecuted any locals who have aided attempts to enter the island and are trying to identify anyone who may have helped Polyakov.The Andamans are also home to the 400-strong Jarawa tribe, who activists say are also threatened by contact from outsiders. Tourists have previously bribed local officials in a bid to spend time with the Jarawa.
Prince Harry blasts ‘blatant lies’ as watchdog launches charity probeThu, 03 Apr 2025 14:28:50 GMT
Prince Harry on Thursday hit out at “blatant lies” over Sentebale, the African organisation he co-founded, and said he believed a charity watchdog probe would “unveil the truth” of why he had to resign as a patron.Sentebale has been at the centre of an explosive boardroom row that escalated over the weekend when its chairperson …
Violences sexuelles dans l’enseignement catholique: l’Eglise “doit mieux faire”, estime Mgr Aveline
Le futur président de la Conférence des évêques de France (CEF) Jean-Marc Aveline a estimé jeudi que sur la question des violences sexuelles dans l’enseignement catholique, l’Eglise “doit mieux faire”.”La situation actuelle montre qu’on peut mieux faire, pas simplement l’enseignement catholique mais aussi l’Eglise”, “et ça veut dire aussi: doit mieux faire”, a affirmé l’archevêque de Marseille, qui prendra en juillet la tête de l’épiscopat français pour une durée de trois ans.”Ce n’est pas une reprise en main de l’un par l’autre, mais une responsabilité commune qui nous incombe et nous serions en tort si nous ne la relevions pas”, a ajouté Mgr Aveline, élu mercredi à la tête de la CEF qui tenait son assemblée plénière.”Il faudra qu’on encourage sérieusement une révision de la façon dont nous travaillons en Eglise avec l’enseignement catholique”, a-t-il ajouté sans plus de détails.Après deux jours de colloque, lundi et mardi, pour faire le point sur la lutte contre les violences sexuelles, “c’est résolument qu’on a pris l’option de poursuivre le travail”, a-t-il assuré.”Il n’est pas question de s’arrêter en chemin”, a martelé Mgr Aveline.Mais alors que les révélations sur multiplient sur Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram, “le centre de gravité se déplace un peu” puisque “l’enseignement catholique est au centre de beaucoup d’attention et il y a beaucoup de travail à faire”, a-t-il ajouté.Mgr Vincent Jordy, reconduit jeudi comme vice-président de la CEF aux côtés de l’évêque de Pontoise Benoît Bertrand, a assuré que la présidence avait rencontré “trois personnes du collectif de Bétharram” dont le porte-parole Alain Esquerre.Interrogé sur ses futurs chantiers, Jean-Marc Aveline a mentionné “la contribution que l’Eglise peut apporter à de grands défis de société”, tels que la pauvreté. A Marseille “le nombre de gens qui dorment dans la rue a cru énormément ces dernières années” et l’Eglise “ne serait pas à sa place si elle n’essayait pas, sur ces lignes de fracture, d’apporter sa contribution. C’est vrai pour les pauvres, les migrants, toutes sortes de populations en difficulté”, a-t-il affirmé.Quant à la hausse des baptêmes de jeunes enregistrée ces dernières années, “il ne faut pas crier cocorico trop vite”: il y a “une responsabilité dans l’accueil” or “on n’a pas formé les accompagnateurs de catéchumènes”.”Il faut rattraper ce retard, on va le faire”, a-t-il assuré.
Gaza rescuers say Israeli air strikes in north kill at least 15
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes in the north of the territory killed at least 15 people Thursday, as the military warned residents to leave the area.Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the strikes targeted several homes in Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighbourhood.”There are still a number of people trapped under the rubble,” he said.AFPTV footage from Al-Ahli hospital in the north of Gaza City showed mourners gathered around bodies laid on the floor wrapped in white shrouds.Raed Jundia recounted surviving an Israeli strike on his home in Shujaiya.”We were about 70 to 80 people inside the apartment when there was suddenly an explosion,” he told AFP.Ezz al-Arqan, another Gaza City resident, said: “Every day, we wake up to the sound of bombs, shells, and bullets. How long will this continue? Every day, we wake up to 20, 30 or 40 martyrs.”The Israeli military told residents to evacuate Shujaiya and some other districts in the Gaza’s north.”The IDF (military) is operating with great force in your areas to destroy the terrorist infrastructure,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X.”You must evacuate these areas immediately and move to the known shelters in western Gaza City.”The Israeli military has in recent days issued a number of evacuation orders to residents in northern neighbourhoods of the Gaza Strip.On Monday, it told those living in all areas of the southern city of Rafah and parts of nearby Khan Yunis to leave.”Currently in Rafah I can tell you that the majority of civilians have been evacuated,” said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani.”Our goal eventually is to have an area where we can fight Hamas, where we can fight terrorists without them hiding behind civilians,” he told journalists.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that the military was “dissecting” Gaza and seizing territory to pressure Hamas into freeing hostages.He said the army was “taking control of the ‘Morag Axis'”, a strip of land expected to run between the southern governorates of Khan Yunis and Rafah.Shoshani, the Israeli military spokesman, said Thursday: “The Morag Route is for us an operational route that can give us an ability to act precisely against terror.”We know the connection between Khan Yunis and Rafah is an important one for Hamas and we’re operating to break that connection,” he added.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Thursday that 1,163 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since Israel resumed large-scale strikes on March 18.That took the overall toll to at least 50,523 since the war began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Hungary’s ‘illiberal’ Orban, Israel’s staunchest friend in the EU
Hungary’s long-standing and deep ties with Israel were on full display Thursday, when nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban received Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu in Budapest.The relationship with Israel has strengthened since the start of the war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Palestinian militant group Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.Orban, who has touted Hungary as “the safest country in Europe” for Jews, became the first leader to extend an invitation to Netanyahu, defying an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against the Israeli leader.And he went a step further on Thursday, announcing that Hungary would quit the ICC, denouncing it as a “political court”.”This partnership is unparallelled. May it grow even further, may it grow even stronger,” the Israeli leader told reporters, exchanging firm handshakes with his “friend Viktor”.The Central European country is “one of Israel’s closest allies and supporters in the EU,” said researcher Bulcsu Hunyadi of the Political Capital think tank.”This alliance has gained particular significance,” with Hungary voicing unwavering support for Israel’s “war of self-defence,” Hunyadi told AFP.- ‘Deep friendship’ -In recent months, Hungary has also hosted several matches of Israel’s national football team and clubs, as anti-Israeli sentiment and tensions sparked by Israeli actions in the Gaza war have surged in Europe.  On Thursday, Netanyahu hailed the countries’ cooperation on sports as “a sign of a deep friendship, a deep alliance that has evolved”.Orban’s government has even pointed to anti-Semitic acts in Western countries to justify its tough anti-migration stance, and has boasted that in Hungary, pro-Palestinian demonstrations are banned. Netanyahu last made a trip to Hungary in 2017, the first visit in 30 years by an Israeli premier.The two right-wingers — who share a common ally in US President Donald Trump and embrace his hardline policies — also have a close personal friendship, with Hungarian media once describing them as “spiritual brothers”.As fellow “populist” leaders, Netanyahu and Orban share their pursuit of advancing an “illiberal” brand of democracy aimed at criticising the values of Western liberal democracies while clamping down on the opposition, said analyst Hunyadi. Netanyahu said Thursday that both countries were united in their “battle for the future of our Judeo-Christian civilization” amid attacks from “radical Islam”.- Accusations of anti-Semitism -By stressing their shared “common patriotic foundation”, accusations levelled against Orban that he has been fanning anti-Jewish sentiment at home were pushed to the background.When Orban’s government ran poster campaigns vilifying Hungary-born financier George Soros, who is Jewish, and his son Alex in 2017, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) denounced its anti-Semitic overtones.Orban also came under fire for praising wartime leader and Hitler ally Miklos Horthy — an autocrat who ruled Hungary from 1920 to 1944 and who passed anti-Jewish laws and oversaw the deportations of several hundred thousand Hungarian Jews to Nazi death camps — as an “exceptional statesman”.Dismissing criticism, Orban has vowed “zero tolerance” for anti-Semitism in Hungary, which has a Jewish  community of an estimated 100,000.The leader has emphasised the government’s investments into renovating and maintaining synagogues and Jewish cemeteries.Netanyahu said Hungary was treating the Jewish community “in an exemplary fashion”.While the visit offers an opportunity to strengthen ties, it is also aimed at framing Orban’s international posture ahead of 2026 elections.Increasingly under threat from Peter Magyar, who has become the main challenger to Orban’s 15-year rule, the nationalist premier seeks to regain “control of the media narrative” during Netanyahu’s visit, said Zoltan Ranschburg of the Republikon Institute.”In this incessant battle of communication, Orban is doing everything he can to divert attention” from the problems Hungarians face in daily life, such as soaring inflation and the deterioration of the health system, he added.bur-mg-anb-kym/yad
Civilians act to bring aid to Myanmar earthquake victims
A 21-year-old shopkeeper with little money of her own, Ei Hay Mar Hlaing has delivered more help to victims at the epicentre of Myanmar’s devastating earthquake than most national or international aid organisations.When she saw the carnage the 7.7-magnitude tremor had inflicted on the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar, she decided to act. “Myself and my friends gathered our pocket money and asked for donations,” she told AFP at her impromptu distribution site Thursday. “We can’t afford much because we are youths. We donated with what we had. If anyone can afford it, I would like to request them to help.”They loaded a truck with drinking water, instant noodles, energy drinks and electrolytes, plus first-aid kits, and headed to the disaster zone from their homes in Monywa, about 110 kilometres (63 miles) away. In matching white helmets, she and around eight of her friends handed out supplies in a field next to a school in Sagaing.Scores of would-be recipients whose homes have been destroyed or made uninhabitable packed tightly together, hoping to secure a share of the goods. Lwin Myint, 56, was looking for help for her family of six. “I came here to see if I can get some snacks and water,” she said. “Now, we do not have a place to live. “We haven’t received anything except some packets of rice and curry, and water as we queue. I want some rice and oil if possible.”Another woman walked away with two bottles of water and a few packs of instant noodles, looking slightly dazed. A tattooed pro-junta militiaman armed with an assault rifle paced between the queues of mostly women to maintain order. Over several days in the disaster zone, AFP journalists have not seen soldiers actively taking part in rescue or aid efforts, aside from one group putting up tents for the displaced around Mandalay Palace. International rescue teams -– many of them Chinese –- have been working at multiple disaster sites in Mandalay, but in neighbouring Sagaing, organisation logos are mostly remarkable by their absence.Instead, the road to the city was jammed with civilian aid convoys from neighbouring regions, draped with banners declaring the aid was sent to victims by their fellow Burmese. “Myanmar has been experiencing earthquakes, flood, fire and bombing. I am sad to see them,” said Ei Hay Mar Hlaing, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “Believe Yourself”. “I want everyone to be okay,” she said. “I want international communities to help us as much as they can.”At a World Food Programme site in the city -– the only international aid distribution AFP saw in Sagaing on Thursday — bags of rice, boxes of fortified biscuits and bottles of sunflower oil were being handed out. “The situation is really devastating” in Sagaing, said the UNDP’s Resident Representative for Myanmar Titon Mitra, estimating 80 percent of buildings had been damaged, “50 percent probably severely”.”The markets are inoperable, the hospitals are absolutely overwhelmed, the structural integrity of the hospital itself is now compromised, so everyone is outside.” The hospital’s medical director told Mitra he had received no international assistance. “This is a crisis on top of a crisis on top of a crisis. The economy had collapsed, people’s coping mechanisms had collapsed and on top of that, you have this earthquake. “So, the short answer is that needs are immense.”