Latest news with #Dayan
News18
18-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Book reveals Israeli ministers covert 1977 talks with Desai, Vajpayee
New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) Then Israeli foreign minister Moshe Dayan came to India in 1977 on a clandestine visit, in disguise and under a false name, to meet prime minister Morarji Desai and his counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee in a failed attempt to establish diplomatic ties between the two countries, says a new book. The Israeli minister failed in his mission and left empty-handed. Visibly annoyed by the outcome, Dayan declined the parting gift of antique Indian silverware offered by his hosts, Abhishek Choudhary writes in 'Believer's Dilemma: Vajpayee and the Hindu Right's Path to Power". He flew out 'mocking India's poverty, cursing its rulers' moral cowardice", says the book that uncovers a little-known episode in India-Israel ties. The 'awkward meeting", the author notes, was a sign that for all its ambitions, the Janata government did not have the mandate or confidence to revamp India's foreign policy. Dayan's covert visit to India was 'top secret" as Desai feared it would lead to the collapse of the Janata government if made public. The meeting, held at a 'poorly furnished government house" in New Delhi, was so discreet that Vajpayee got to know of it only after Dayan landed. Even foreign secretary Jagat Mehta wasn't told anything. 'On the afternoon of 14 August, Israeli foreign minister, Moshe Dayan, alighted in New Delhi. He was travelling under a fake name and had disguised himself with dark glasses and a large straw hat. He was put up at a private residence in south Delhi's Safdarjung Enclave," reads the book, a sequel to Chaudhary's award-winning bestseller 'Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right". The purpose of his visit: 'to advance talks on establishing diplomatic relations between India and Israel". India recognised Israel in 1950 but established full diplomatic relations with the country on January 29, 1992. 'As a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, India had some clout among the non-aligned nations. At the very least, Dayan was hoping to receive India's backing for the Israel-Egypt peace plans in the NAM, neutralizing India's longstanding support to the Arabs," the book adds. 'At India's request, the meeting was kept top secret. No other cabinet minister, not even Foreign Secretary Mehta, got a whiff of it. Morarji Desai thought that if the news of Dayan's visit became public, the Janata government would collapse," it claims. Janata Party, a political alliance formed in 1977 by various opposition groups, came into power in 1977 defeating Indira Gandhi's Congress after the Emergency period. Desai, who became the first non-Congress prime minister of India, remained in the office for 856 days — serving till 1979. Vajpayee, despite his long standing support for formal ties with Israel, appeared visibly uneasy during the meeting with Dayan. According to Desai — who shared the episode months later with Indian diplomat I.K. Gujral, then India's ambassador to the USSR — Vajpayee was 'terrified" about the implications of the encounter and was told 'not to worry". Desai, however, remained steadfast in rejecting Dayan's overtures. While acknowledging that India had recognised Israel in 1950, Desai made it clear that full diplomatic relations could only be considered 'only after peace came to the region". He reiterated India's longstanding support for a Palestinian state and resisted even minimal gestures, such as opening an Israeli consulate in Delhi. 'Both Vajpayee and Desai argued that such a step would be misinterpreted, leading to 'unnecessary complications in diplomatic relations with West Asia'… He (Desai) suggested Dayan meet Vajpayee during the conferences in the US and Europe but refused to risk sending his foreign minister, formally or secretly, to his country," the book recounts. Following the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, an embassy opened in New Delhi, and the consulate in Mumbai — operational since 1953 — became a consulate-general. 'Believer's Dilemma", priced at Rs 999, is described by publishing house PanMacmillan India as a political history of contemporary India covering the crucial period between 1978–2018 — 'a transformative 40-year span that saw the Hindu Right move from the fringes into the corridors of power". PTI MG MIN MIN (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 18, 2025, 17:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Time of India
UP horror: 13-year-old walks 15 km to police station; seeks help to save mother assaulted, branded as ‘witch' by neighbours
VARANASI: A 13-year-old girl from the remote Barhapan village, under the Duddhi police station of Sonbhadra district, travelled almost 15 kilometres on foot to reach the police station on Tuesday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She sought the help of the police to save her mother from neighbours who were assaulting her for many days, accusing her of being a 'Dayan' (witch). Sonbhadra ASP (operations) Tribhuvan Nath Tripathi said on Thursday that, taking note of the girl's complaint, Duddhi police lodged a named FIR against her three neighbours, including two women. The police sent the girl back home while the accused were being interrogated as the investigation began. During the initial police investigation, it was revealed that the complainant, a minor girl, lives in her village with her mother and younger sister, while her father stays away from home to earn a livelihood. She alleged that her neighbours, including Devanti Devi and her mother-in-law Shakunti Devi, often have disputes with her mother, accusing her of being a 'Dayan'. On Tuesday morning, both women started beating her mother, and another neighbour, Sonu, also joined them. When they started assaulting her brutally, the girl, who studies in class 8, and her sister tried to intervene to save their mother, but they were also beaten. After this, the upset girl left her village and travelled almost 15 kilometres on foot alone to reach the Duddhi police station to file her complaint. Taking note of her complaint, the police lodged an FIR against her neighbours.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Time of India
UP horror: 13-year-old walks 15km to police station; seeks help to save mother assaulted, branded as ‘witch' by neighbours
Girl travels 15 km to seek police help to save mother assaulted by terming `Dayan' in Sonbhadra VARANASI: A 13-year-old girl from the remote Barhapan village, under the Duddhi police station of Sonbhadra district, travelled almost 15 kilometres on foot to reach the police station on Tuesday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She sought the help of the police to save her mother from neighbours who were assaulting her for many days, accusing her of being a 'Dayan' (witch). Sonbhadra ASP (operations) Tribhuvan Nath Tripathi said on Thursday that, taking note of the girl's complaint, Duddhi police lodged a named FIR against her three neighbours, including two women. The police sent the girl back home while the accused were being interrogated as the investigation began. During the initial police investigation, it was revealed that the complainant, a minor girl, lives in her village with her mother and younger sister, while her father stays away from home to earn a livelihood. She alleged that her neighbours, including Devanti Devi and her mother-in-law Shakunti Devi, often have disputes with her mother, accusing her of being a 'Dayan'. On Tuesday morning, both women started beating her mother, and another neighbour, Sonu, also joined them. When they started assaulting her brutally, the girl, who studies in class 8, and her sister tried to intervene to save their mother, but they were also beaten. After this, the upset girl left her village and travelled almost 15 kilometres on foot alone to reach the Duddhi police station to file her complaint. Taking note of her complaint, the police lodged an FIR against her neighbours.
The Guardian
22-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Brexit a key factor in worst UK medicine shortages in four years, report says
Drug shortages in the UK have risen to their worst level for four years, official figures show, with Brexit considered a key reason so many medications are scarce. Drug companies notified the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) about disruptions to supply 1,938 times during last year – the highest number since the 1,967 seen in 2021. Medications to treat epilepsy and cystic fibrosis are among those that pharmacists are finding it hard or impossible to get hold of, creating risks for patients' health. The figures have emerged in a new report by the Nuffield Trust health thinktank, which obtained them under freedom of information laws from the DHSC, which oversees the availability of drugs UK-wide. The number of supply disruptions fell after 2021, to 1,608 in 2022 and 1,634 in 2023. But it suddenly shot up again last year to 1,938, the data shows. Mark Dayan, a policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust and its Brexit programme lead, said: 'This wave of medicine shortages has already meant people struggle to find the drugs their doctors told them were needed for conditions like epilepsy and cystic fibrosis. It's very worrying that it appears to be rolling on at full force into a third year.' The report says that while drug shortages have become a problem globally in recent years, the UK is facing 'a worsening situation' compared with the rest of Europe because of Brexit. 'Elevated and troubling levels of medicine shortages are continuing, with no consistent sign of improvement. The UK has had the lowest import growth in medicines of any G7 country, driven by a reduction in EU imports,' the thinktank adds. United Nations trade data, which Dayan and his colleagues analysed, shows that the UK 'once again has the lowest rise in imports of medicines of all G7 countries since 2010'. 'The total value [of imports] has fallen by almost 20% since 2015, the year before the EU referendum, in cash terms – an indication of how medicine supply chains have shifted away from the UK,' the report says, with 'little sign of a stable recovery since'. HM Revenue and Customs data shows there has been 'a decline [in imports] focused clearly on imports from the EU, adding to the evidence that new trade barriers related to Brexit are a likely explanation'. In addition, UK drug exports to the European Economic Area – the 27 EU states plus Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein – have fallen by a third since before the UK voted in 2016 to leave the EU. The National Pharmacy Association voiced alarm earlier this month about 'a growing crisis in medicine supply'. All 500 of the pharmacies it surveyed said they could not dispense a prescription at least once a day because drugs were unavailable. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Pharmacies are at the sharp end of medicines shortages and frequently have to turn away distressed, frustrated and sometimes angry patients,' said Nick Kaye, the NPA's chair. He urged ministers to allow pharmacists to offer patients a safe alternative to their usual medication if it is not available, to help them manage their condition. 'It is particularly frustrating for pharmacists to be unable to meet a clear need when they have a perfectly safe and effective solution in their pharmacy already,' he added. Dayan warned that with the EU taking concerted action to reduce drug shortages by sharing supplies and increasing its domestic production, 'there is a real risk we will be left out as the EU unveils big plans to safeguard its own supply'. Brexit 'does seem to have pushed us out of some European supply chains', he added. A DHSC spokesperson said: 'This government inherited ongoing global supply problems, but we have robust measures in place to mitigate disruption for patients. We are strengthening our domestic resilience further by investing up to £520m to manufacture more medicines, diagnostics, and medical technologies in the UK. 'We are also working closely with the NHS, regulators and other key partners to cut red tape to grow our life sciences sector, and with international partners to bolster supply chains.'
The Guardian
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Hopeful or ‘hate-fuelled'? Film of controversial play about Israel gets London premiere
The premiere of Caryl Churchill's short play Seven Jewish Children at the Royal Court theatre 16 years ago proved to be one of British theatre's most controversial opening nights. Audiences were immediately divided by the British playwright's deliberately stripped-back treatment of Jewish generational fear and Israel's history of conflict. The public attacks it prompted have echoed on. In 2022, Churchill was deprived of the lifetime European Drama award she had received earlier in the year, due to criticism of the play and her pro-Palestinian campaigning. Now the play has been filmed and is to open officially in London at the end of this month, at a time when the Middle East has been rocked by devastating violence and, in Britain, allegiances are more contested than ever. Behind the film is London-based Omri Dayan, a 23-year-old US-Israeli director, who said this weekend that he was 'braced' for all the contention to come, but was drawn to make his version 'not because of its politics, but because of its humanity – for me it is a family story.' Like the play, Seven Jewish Children: A Film for Gaza tells its story through glimpsed moments of Jewish family life. It starts with the Russian pogroms of 1903 and finishes with the 2008-09 Israeli action in Gaza, Operation Cast Lead. With a repeated refrain, each family questions in turn what they should tell a young daughter – setting up taboos that, it is implied, will have serious consequences. Making his film, Dayan said, was the first time he had embraced his heritage in his work. 'This play made me realise that I am Jewish, I am the son of Israeli parents, and this is a story I need to tell,' he said. And it was a family project. The director's father, Ami Dayan, and his grandmother – the Israeli actress Rivka Michaeli – are in his cast. 'Because the film is rooted in family, them being right beside me really helped,' said Dayan. Churchill, 86, has given the film her approval. Made by a crew of 50 which worked for nothing and included Israelis and Palestinians, it will be shown free on Monday 31 March in London, at the Prince Charles Cinema off Leicester Square, to raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians. It will then be released on YouTube. When Churchill wrote the play she stipulated it could be read or performed anywhere as long as no admission fee was charged and a collection was taken for this charity. The director hopes the film will go on to be shown to invited groups in universities, schools, community groups and synagogues. 'The script is so clear, even though the issue is so complex,' said Dayan. 'The play did an incredible job of showing what different positions have been taken, as well as looking at the times we are in. I hope that the film helps in the same way.' Before the film starts, a note on the screen spells out it was made before the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel. However, Dayan and his team were editing the film that day. 'We took a break for a while,' he said, 'because I didn't want what we did to be a reaction. We had all known, of course, that there was going to be another chapter one day. It is incredibly sad.' While he anticipates protest, as well as support, Dayan said he hopes that audiences from all sides will listen. 'We hope that [we] can guide people to a place where they are not putting up their usual defences,' he said. 'Everyone has a view, but we are asking them to put those aside for 15 minutes, to let the characters speak. Then afterwards, if they want to, they can pick up set attitudes again afterwards.' Some critics at the time argued the play was antisemitic. The Times's 2009 review said it was evidence of 'straitjacketed political orthodoxy', while novelist Howard Jacobson described it as a 'hate-fuelled little chamber piece' in the Independent, warning it was part of 'a gradual habituation of a language of loathing'. Jacobson added: 'Caryl Churchill will argue that her play is about Israelis not Jews, but once you venture on to 'chosen people' territory – feeding all the ancient prejudice against that miscomprehended phrase – once you repeat in another form the medieval blood-libel of Jews rejoicing in the murder of little children, you have crossed over. This is the old stuff.' In contrast, the Guardian's Michael Billington praised Churchill for capturing 'the transition that has overtaken Israel, to the point where security has become the pretext for indiscriminate slaughter', adding: 'Avoiding overt didacticism, her play becomes a heartfelt lamentation for the future generations who will themselves become victims of the attempted military suppression of Hamas.' In the aftermath of the row, the Guardian also ran a full transcript of the play. Dayan believes many attacks on the play 'had no true merit' because the people criticising it had not seen it. 'There is a real fear that goes down generation to generation that Churchill shows. This play should be seen as something that can help explain it,' he said. 'Instead, there was a real jump to delegitimise it.' Last week the BBC's board apologised for 'significant and damaging' mistakes in the production of a documentary on Gaza which featured the son of a Hamas official. It has now been taken down. Dayan said he had not seen the programme, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, but believed it should still be available to watch. 'I don't yet know the details,' he said, 'but it should be shown as long as there is full disclosure. It is very difficult to tell these stories now, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. My instinct is that it should be seen. Discussion is the most important thing.' Such divisions in culture and over media coverage must be fought if they lead to censorship and 'cancellation', he argues. 'We have already been disinvited from showing our film at festival for the Jewish community at a centre in New York.' Influenced by Lars von Trier's film Dogville, Dayan set his film on a basic sound stage, with different domestic spaces marked out on the floor: 'My first thought had been to set each scene in its location, but it didn't work,' he said. Dominic Cooke, the original director of the play, has saluted his choices, calling the film 'a terrific achievement'. 'Caryl's vision of an Israel trapped in cycles of trauma is sadly more pertinent now than ever,' Cooke added. Dayan said he hoped reaction to his film would take the form of conversation, not argument: 'I'll be pleased if people see it, even if they go on to disagree about it. That was part of the intention of making it; that, and the fundraising.'
