分类： world

A groundbreaking BBC investigation has uncovered that Nepal’s former police chief authorized lethal force against thousands of unarmed young demonstrators during September’s Gen Z protests, resulting in 19 fatalities and triggering governmental collapse. The investigation reveals specific operational details showing how security forces deployed live ammunition against predominantly student protesters wearing school uniforms.

The events of September 8th in Kathmandu represented a critical turning point in Nepal’s democratic journey. What began as organized anti-corruption demonstrations escalated into one of the most violent confrontations in Nepal’s recent history. The BBC’s forensic analysis of over 4,000 videos and photographs, combined with leaked internal police documents and insider testimonies, provides the most comprehensive account of the tragedy.

Central to the investigation is the identification of former Police Inspector General Chandra Kuber Khapung (call sign ‘Peter 1’) as the officer who issued the ‘deploy necessary force’ order just ten minutes after a curfew was imposed. While Nepal Police claims this authorization came through proper channels from a government security committee, the committee’s chairman has denied approving live ammunition.

The human tragedy is embodied in 17-year-old Shreeyam Chaulagain, the youngest victim, who was shot in the back of the head while walking away from the protest wearing his school uniform. His case exemplifies the disproportionate response against demonstrators who showed no evidence of armed aggression according to visual evidence analyzed by the BBC.

The protests emerged from widespread frustration among Nepal’s youth generation (aged 14-29) regarding systemic corruption and unemployment affecting approximately 20% of young Nepalis. Organized primarily through Discord after the government banned mainstream social media platforms, the demonstrations unexpectedly drew 30,000 participants—ten times police expectations.

The security apparatus demonstrated critical failures in intelligence gathering, crowd assessment, and command coordination. Officers reported inadequate communication infrastructure, with the command center struggling to establish stable internet connections to monitor events unfolding at parliament.

The subsequent violence on September 9th, which claimed 77 additional lives and resulted in the prime minister’s resignation, represented a direct response to the previous day’s killings. Despite widespread allegations of political manipulation behind the destruction, the BBC found no substantiating evidence.

Five months later, as Nepal approaches general elections on March 5th, no individual or institution has accepted responsibility for the deaths. A public inquiry continues to examine the events, while families of victims await justice in a nation still grappling with the trauma of its bloodiest day since transitioning to republic status in 2008.

Hundreds of Indian medical students pursuing education in Iranian universities find themselves caught between academic obligations and safety concerns as regional tensions persist. Primarily hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, these scholars report mounting anxiety as their crucial March examinations approach without postponement announcements from academic institutions.

The academic impasse presents students with a difficult choice: either remain in Iran to complete their examinations or return home and potentially sacrifice an entire academic year. Despite operational flight services, uncertainty regarding the evolving geopolitical landscape has created significant distress among both students and their families back in India.

The All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) has formally intervened by petitioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration for diplomatic assistance. The association specifically requests government engagement with Iranian authorities and educational institutions to negotiate examination postponements, thereby enabling concerned students to return home without academic penalty.

Bilal Bhat, a medical student currently in Iran, conveyed via digital communication that while daily life continues normally, the underlying tension has substantially increased anxiety levels. ‘We want to return home since our families are naturally concerned,’ Bhat stated. ‘However, without exam postponement clarity, we risk compromising our entire academic progress.’

Another student, identified as Musafid, echoed these concerns, emphasizing the community’s dual focus on safety and educational continuity. Mohammad Momin Khan, President of J&K AIMSA, clarified that students seek diplomatic mediation rather than immediate evacuation, hoping for academic schedule adjustments that account for the current exceptional circumstances.

Families across India maintain vigilant observation of developments, hoping for resolution that ensures both student safety and educational preservation. The student community remains in a cautious waiting pattern, balancing academic responsibilities against growing safety apprehensions.

A notable seismic event registering 5.5 magnitude on the Richter scale occurred along the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on Wednesday, according to data from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The substantial tremor originated at a considerable depth of approximately 90 kilometers (56 miles) beneath the Earth’s surface, which typically reduces surface impact while potentially widening the geographical area that experiences the quake. The remote, mountainous terrain where the seismic activity was centered presents significant challenges for immediate damage assessment and emergency response coordination. Earthquakes are relatively common in this seismically active region where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge, creating complex geological pressures that periodically release through such events. International seismic monitoring networks continue to track aftershock potential while regional authorities remain on alert for possible infrastructure damage or humanitarian needs in the affected border communities. The depth of this particular quake may have mitigated more severe surface destruction that typically accompanies shallower seismic events of similar magnitude.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a devastating report on Wednesday revealing that 2025 became the most lethal year for media professionals since the organization began documenting casualties over thirty years ago. With a record 129 journalists killed worldwide, Israel was responsible for approximately 86 deaths—representing nearly two-thirds of the global total.

According to the press freedom watchdog, more than 60% of those killed by Israeli forces were Palestinian reporters operating in Gaza, where numerous human rights organizations and UN experts have acknowledged an ongoing genocide. The report highlighted that Israel’s unprecedented targeting of journalists resulted in back-to-back record years for press fatalities.

The deadliest single incident occurred on August 25, when Israeli airstrikes conducted a ‘double-tap’ attack on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza, killing at least 20 people including five media staff—two of whom were journalists with Middle East Eye. This controversial tactic, which involves striking the same location twice after first responders and journalists have gathered at the scene, has been widely condemned by human rights experts and foreign governments.

The CPJ report further noted a global increase in drone strikes against journalists, with Israel employing this method most frequently in 2025. Of the 39 documented drone-related journalist deaths worldwide, 28 were attributed to the Israeli military in Gaza.

Israeli authorities routinely denied targeting journalists, claiming instead that they were militants posing as media personnel. Rights groups have dismissed these assertions as ‘smear campaigns,’ noting that Israel has provided no credible evidence to support these allegations.

CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg emphasized the critical importance of protecting journalists, stating: ‘Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever. Attacks on the media are a leading indicator of attacks on other freedoms, and much more needs to be done to prevent these killings and punish the perpetrators.’

Israel has maintained a ban on international media entering Gaza independently since the conflict began in October 2023, a restriction that remained in place even after the ceasefire agreement took effect last October. Consequently, nearly all on-the-ground reporting during the genocide has been conducted by Palestinian journalists working under extreme conditions—including displacement, limited access to humanitarian aid, and intimidation of family members due to their journalistic work.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate reported that the Israeli military has killed more than 700 family members of journalists since October 2023, noting that ‘the family has been transformed into a tool of pressure and collective punishment, violating the core principles of international humanitarian law.’

Other countries with significant journalist fatalities included Sudan (9 deaths), Mexico (6), Russia (4), and the Philippines (3), with these five nations collectively responsible for 84% of all journalist killings in 2025.