Latest news with #Israeli-style
Express Tribune
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Modi trying to turn Kashmir into Gaza: Irfan Siddiqui
Listen to article Senator Irfan Siddiqui of the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) has accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of pursuing Israeli-style policies in Kashmir, alleging a bid to transform the occupied region into "another Gaza." In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Irfan Siddiqui wrote that India under Modi could no longer be called the world's largest democracy, stating instead it had become 'the largest killing ground for Muslims and other minorities.' He accused the Indian government of replicating Israel's repressive policies in occupied Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza, and applying them in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). 'Modi is following the Israeli policy model,' Irfan Siddiqui said. 'He is trying to turn Kashmir into another Gaza.' Referring to India's recurring threats to cut off water to Pakistan, Irfan Siddiqui warned of severe consequences. 'If India lays the first brick of any dam that chokes our rivers, the response will be with stone, not silence,' he said, adding that such actions would be treated as an act of war. His remarks come amid growing regional tension and criticism over India's policies in Kashmir, particularly after the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, which stripped the region of its special constitutional status. Rights groups have since raised alarm over widespread restrictions, arbitrary detentions, and demographic changes. Earlier, hundreds of Pakistanis rallied across the country on, including in Azad Kashmir, to protest against India's threats of retaliation following a deadly attack on civilians in IIOJK on Tuesday. The demonstrations came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to 'pursue and punish' the perpetrators of Tuesday's assault in Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians and was the deadliest such attack in the disputed region in over two decades. Modi accused Pakistan of supporting what he described as 'cross-border terrorism.' Previously, Kashmiri students in various Indian states have reported facing threats and harassment in the aftermath of the deadly attack in Pahalgam, IIOJK, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly domestic tourists. According to the IIOJK Students Association, students in states such as Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh were allegedly told to vacate their rented homes and hostels shortly after the attack. What is happening in Gaza? The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 51,400 after Israeli airstrikes killed 84 more Palestinians in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The total number of injured has now reached 117,400 since the conflict escalated in October 2023. The latest fatalities included victims of an airstrike on a school housing displaced families in northern Gaza. The attack marks continued violence despite a January ceasefire agreement that had briefly paused fighting. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Gina Rinehart calls for a huge change to Australia's military at moving Anzac Day vigil
Australia's richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, has called for Australia to more than double its defence budget at an Anzac eve sunset vigil. Ms Rinehart, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Defence Minister Richard Marles attended the Channel Seven Anzac Day Eve ceremony outside the Sydney Opera House on Thursday evening. Former prime ministers Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison, and John Howard were also in attendance. Ms Rinehart used the platform to call upon leaders to spend five per cent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) on defence. Defence spending has been at 2.02 per cent of GDP under Labor who are projected to increase funding to 2.3 per cent by 2034. For comparison, the US spends about 3.4 per cent of its GDP on defence. Mr Dutton on Wednesday said a Coalition government would increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade. From there spending would reach 3 per cent of GDP by 2035, the amount US president Donald Trump called on his allies to spend. The mining billionaire said the government has not done enough to protect Australians with tensions rising in the region and across the globe. 'We urgently need to do more to defend Australians, starting with protecting our ports, airports, sea lanes and other vital infrastructure, and significantly boosting our smart sea mines, war drones and Israeli-style (ballistic defence) domes accordingly,' Ms Rinehart told the crowd. 'Boosting our defence manufacturing here in Australia, as well as our budget to five per cent of GDP. Five per cent of GDP, like Europe is moving towards. 'I have so much more to say on this, at another time.' It is unclear how Ms Rinehart proposes the government afford such a spending increase. The Coalition's plan to increase spending to 3 per cent would cost at least $100billion in the first half of the 2030s. 'The prime minister and the deputy prime minister regularly tell Australians that we live in the most precarious period since the end of the Second World War,' Dutton said in a statement on Wednesday. 'Yet, over the last three years, Labor has done nothing about it, other than rip money out of defence, weakening strength and morale.' Mr Dutton would not disclose exactly how a Coalition government would cover such expenditure. He said he would begin by repealing Labor's marginal tax cuts, due to take effect from mid-2027. Australia has not spent five per cent of its GDP on defence since the Korean War in the 1950s and only a select few countries do so today. Liberal campaign spokesman Senator James Paterson defended the party's defence target of 3 per cent of GDP when he appeared on Sky News on Thursday. 'Nobody contends that we're spending enough on defence right now,' he said. Senator Paterson suggested Australia's delayed response to the live firing exercises of a Chinese warship in the Tasman Sea demonstrated the need for increased military spending. Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Albanese government had budgeted for 'the biggest peacetime increase in defence spending that has occurred in Australian history'. 'We certainly agree that the world is an unpredictable place, and that our strategic circumstances are as complex and in some respects, as threatening as we have faced since the end of the Second World War,' he said at a press conference on Thursday. 'So, it's no small step that we've already taken, and we will continue to assess the strategic circumstances and what is the appropriate defence spend in the context of all of that.'
News.com.au
24-04-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Gina Rinehart calls for defence spending to be increased to 5 per cent of GDP
Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has called for the federal government to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP at an Anzac Day Eve event at the Sydney Opera House with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. The mining billionaire and Australia's richest person said the spending should be more than double the current level of 2.03 per cent of GDP. 'We are all especially privileged to be here this evening, as we are free from a war on our shores,' Ms Rinehart said. 'It is my belief we urgently need to do more to defend Australians, starting with protecting our ports, airports, sea lanes and other vital infrastructure, and significantly boosting our smart sea mines, war drones and Israeli-style domes accordingly, and boosting our defence manufacture here in Australia, as well as our budget to 5 per cent of GDP. 'Five per cent of GDP … like Europe is moving towards. I have so much more to say on this, at another time.' Her comments come the day after Mr Dutton vowed to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent. US President Donald Trump has called on allies to lift defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP. Rinehart has been a key supporter of Mr Trump. Mr Dutton, Defence Minister Richard Marles, and former prime ministers Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and John Howard also attended the event. 'So much of our wealth and opportunity, underwritten by past generations of heroes and contributors, stands at risk from the modern aspirations of others, their modern behaviour, from modern realities hitherto remote from our shores, our interests, our treasures, our lives,' Ms Rinehart added. 'That sacrifice won us time and with hard work, investment, risk, common sense, reliable electricity, vision, and blessed with natural resources to underpin a high standard of living, Australia has become a remarkable, successful home blessed with opportunities for all Australians.'
Sydney Morning Herald
24-04-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rinehart uses Anzac Day service to push for enormous increase in defence spending
Australia's richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, has called for a gargantuan rise in defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP at a sunset vigil before Anzac Day as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Defence Minister Richard Marles sat in the audience. Dutton, Marles and former prime ministers Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and John Howard were guests at the Channel Seven Anzac Day Eve ceremony just outside the Sydney Opera House. It came a day after the Coalition leader said if his party formed government it would take defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 and to 3 per cent by the middle of the next decade. Defence spending under Labor is projected to rise from 2.02 per cent of GDP this year to 2.3 per cent by 2034, making the Coalition's 3 per cent long-term pledge significantly more ambitious. Loading However, both parties' promises pale in comparison to Rinehart's intervention, as she claimed, 'we urgently need to do more to defend Australians, starting with protecting our ports, airports, sea lanes and other vital infrastructure, and significantly boosting our smart sea mines, war drones and Israeli-style [missile defence] domes accordingly. 'Boosting our defence manufacturing here in Australia, as well as our budget to 5 per cent of GDP. Five per cent of GDP, like Europe is moving towards. 'I have so much more to say on this, at another time.' A rise to 5 per cent of GDP would almost certainly cripple the federal budget. The Coalition's plan to drive defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP would create a $100 billion budget hole in the first half of the 2030s.
The Age
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Age
Rinehart uses Anzac Day service to push for enormous increase in defence spending
Australia's richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, has called for a gargantuan rise in defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP at a sunset vigil before Anzac Day as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Defence Minister Richard Marles sat in the audience. Dutton, Marles and former prime ministers Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and John Howard were guests at the Channel Seven Anzac Day Eve ceremony just outside the Sydney Opera House. It came a day after the Coalition leader said if his party formed government it would take defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 and to 3 per cent by the middle of the next decade. Defence spending under Labor is projected to rise from 2.02 per cent of GDP this year to 2.3 per cent by 2034, making the Coalition's 3 per cent long-term pledge significantly more ambitious. Loading However, both parties' promises pale in comparison to Rinehart's intervention, as she claimed, 'we urgently need to do more to defend Australians, starting with protecting our ports, airports, sea lanes and other vital infrastructure, and significantly boosting our smart sea mines, war drones and Israeli-style [missile defence] domes accordingly. 'Boosting our defence manufacturing here in Australia, as well as our budget to 5 per cent of GDP. Five per cent of GDP, like Europe is moving towards. 'I have so much more to say on this, at another time.' A rise to 5 per cent of GDP would almost certainly cripple the federal budget. The Coalition's plan to drive defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP would create a $100 billion budget hole in the first half of the 2030s.
