In a Gaza workshop, a group of men patch up pleasure dinghies with reclaimed fibreglass, wood and door frames pulled from the rubble, racing to get the boats ready for a tougher line of work. The small vessels, which were used by families and swimmers before the war, have become a lifeline for the enclave’s fishing industry which has been struggling to keep up its fleet. Israeli restrictions on new fibreglass and other materials entering Gaza have made it increasingly difficult and expensive to repair the larger, purpose-built boats, fishermen said. Palestinian workers repair a skiff damaged in the Israeli offensive, in Gaza City on June 3, 2026. —Reuters “A kilo of fibreglass in the era before the war was 50 or 60 shekels,” fisherman Mohammad al-Hissi told Reuters. The cost today was around 800 shekels, he added. Total catch has plummeted, say fishermen COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza, told Reuters the bans cover items that could have a military as well as a civilian use. It d...
Young students gathered in New Delhi on Saturday for the first street protest by the satirical “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) over alleged irregularities in recent major examinations. Carrying paper cockroach masks and pamphlets, the protesters called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who has faced criticism over the irregularities, including question paper leaks and technical glitches. The CJP has garnered millions of followers on social media since its launch last month. Modi’s government has blocked the movement’s X account in the country, a move the CJP has challenged in a Delhi court. Political analysts say the group’s popularity has begun to dent Modi’s image despite his party’s recent victories in key state elections, even as wider frustration grows over rising fuel prices and gas shortages brought by the Iran war. Abhijeet Dipke, head of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), holds a copy of “My Autobiography” by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar as he gestures towards his supporters upon his arr...