INDIA'S former defence minister George Fernandes, 88, passed away in Delhi today (29) after a prolonged illness.
Fernandes was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which had forced him out of the public eye for several years, and had recently contracted swine flu, his long time associate, Jaya Jaitly, said.
He joined prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's federal government in 1998 and 1999, when Fernandes was appointed the defence minister. It was on his watch that India fought the Kargil war against Pakistan in 1999. It was also during his tenure that India conducted the nuclear test at Pokhran, Rajasthan, in 1998.
Fernandes, born to a Christian family in the southern Indian coastal city of Mangaluru in Karnataka, shot to fame as a trade union leader in Mumbai in the early 1970s.
He organised a railways strike in 1974 that brought the country to a standstill. He became the railways minister in 1989 under VP Singh's National Front coalition government, comprising mostly left leaning parties.
Fernandes was also the minister for industry under the Janata Party government in 1977. He was at loggerheads with industrialists and slapped foreign exchange violation charges against Coca-Cola and IBM, which forced them to shut down their operations and quit India.
Fernandes stepped away from frontline politics after unsuccessfully fighting the 2009 parliamentary elections, ending a political career that began with him in 1967 general elections to India’s lower house of parliament.
He subsequently represented Muzzafarpur and Nalanda constituencies in India’s northern state of Bihar, and was also a upper house member in 2009-2010.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)