• Amnesty terms CM’s act “assault” woman’s dignity.
• Says no one has right to police woman’s faith or clothing.
• Mehbooba Mufti says CM should resign immediately.
  

Amnesty International, Indian politicians and other rights groups have strongly condemned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for pulling down the hijab (veil) of Nusrat Parveen, a newly recruited Muslim doctor, during an official event.

The Bihar CM, a day earlier, had removed the hijab of the Muslim doctor at “Samvad”, the CM’s secretariat, where appointment letters were being handed over to newly recruited doctors.

In a statement, Aakar Patel, Chair of the Board at Amnesty International India, said: “This act was an assault on this woman’s dignity, autonomy and identity.”

“When a public official forcibly pulls down a woman’s hijab, it sends a message to the general public that this behaviour is acceptable,” he added.

Patel said that no one has the right to police a woman’s faith or clothing.

Such actions deepen fear, normalise discrimination and erode the very foundations of equality and freedom of religion, he added.

Patel said that this violation demands unequivocal condemnation and accountability and sought urgent steps to ensure that no woman is subjected to such degrading treatment.   

The shocking incident triggered a wave of anguish among minorities in the country and drew strong criticism from home and abroad.

In India, demands are growing to file a harassment case against the Bihar chief minister over the humiliation of a Muslim doctor.

Political leaders, journalists, and human rights organisations called the incident “shameful”.

Opposition party Congress assailed the CM and said that his act is “unforgivable”.

Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said that the CM should resign immediately.

Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav said that the CM’s move was “shameful”, while Indian journalist Mohammad Zubair said that if he had been in his senses, CM Kumar would not have done this.

Academic Ashok Swain wrote on social media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rudeness and Islamophobia in India have received official approval.

Human rights activist Deepika Pushkar Nath called it a serious incident of “sexual harassment”.

In India, hate crimes against religious minorities have alarmingly increased during the tenure of PM Modi.

Last month, a US report recommended designating India as a country of “special concern” due to religious prejudice and serious violations of religious freedom.

US Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its report, exposed religious discrimination in India and extremist policies of the RSS and the BJP’s Hindutva agenda.

The report revealed that Modi and the BJP had implemented discriminatory policies against minorities in line with the Hindutva ideology.

It added that the BJP, as the political wing of the RSS, promotes Hindu nationalism.

The RSS has been involved for decades in violent acts against minorities, particularly Muslims and Sikhs.

The number of people facing acute food insecurity in Afghanistan this winter is on the rise, and now stands at more than 17 million, the United Nations warned Tuesday.

“The situation is getting worse, and we need to act now as Afghanistan is entering the winter period where needs are highest,” said Jean-Martin Bauer, director of food security and nutrition analysis at the UN’s World Food Programme.

More than 17 million people are facing acute food insecurity: “three million more than last year”, he told a press briefing in Geneva.

Furthermore, “there are almost four million children in a situation of acute malnutrition”, he said.

Speaking from WFP’s Rome headquarters, Bauer said the situation was down to a combination of factors, including drought affecting crops and livestock, earthquakes that have plunged many families into poverty, and cuts in international aid.

Added to this, the return of more than 2.5 million Afghans from Iran and Pakistan this year “is putting stress on very limited resources” and the “very limited infrastructure in the country”.

WFP expects a similar number of people to return to Afghanistan in 2026.

The organisation currently has only 12% of the funds needed for its programmes in the country.

Bauer indicated that due to lack of money, WFP is unable to undertake its usual winter preparations, such as pre-positioning food resources in vulnerable communities.

He urged donors to step forward to avert “the most extreme impact” in Afghanistan.

“What we need is $570 million over the next six months to provide essential assistance to about six million people in Afghanistan,” he said.

“We need to make sure that the country remains in the headlines […] because of the very high levels of vulnerability,” he added.

The Arab world is home to some of the wealthiest families in history. Many Arab families, known for their immense fortunes, luxurious lifestyles, and deep cultural roots, have emerged as global symbols of power and influence.

Their fortunes, however, extend far beyond the modern oil boom, rooted instead in centuries of trade, entrepreneurship, and innovation that shaped the region’s economic foundations.

Bloomberg has issued an annual report on the World’s Richest Families 2025, stating that the 25 richest families are collectively $358.7 billion richer than a year ago, with a combined fortune totalling $2.9 trillion.

Their wealth surged due to rising stock prices and demand for goods like metals and pet food, the report stated.

The report mentions three of the wealthiest families in the Arab world: the UAE’s Al Nayhan, Saudi Arabia’s Al Saud, and Qatar’s Al Thani.

Al Nahyan family

The ruling Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, is ranked the second-wealthiest family in the world with a net worth of $335.9 billion, the report stated.

Abu Dhabi ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is also the country’s president. The family has presided over the area for decades, even before oil transformed the economy and the royals’ finances, the report stated.

National security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon oversees personal and sovereign assets worth a combined $1.5 trillion and has invested heavily in artificial intelligence.

Al Saud family

The Al Saud family of Saudi Arabia has been ranked third on Bloomberg’s World’s Richest Families 2025 list, with an estimated net worth of $213.6 billion.

The 93-year-old ruling dynasty has built its vast collective fortune largely on the kingdom’s massive oil reserves. Bloomberg noted that the higher valuation this year reflects revised estimates of historical inflows as well as reduced spending by family members.

With around 15,000 extended relatives, the total wealth under the family’s influence is believed to be even greater. Many royals have generated income by brokering government contracts and land deals or by establishing businesses that provide services to state-owned entities, including Saudi Aramco.

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), now manages assets worth about $1 trillion, while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is reported to control assets exceeding $1 billion personally.

Al Thani

The Al Thani family, which has ruled Qatar since the mid-19th century, is ranked fourth in Bloomberg’s World’s Richest Families 2025 list, with an estimated net worth of $199.5 billion.

While oil was discovered around 1940, it was the strategic development of Qatar’s vast offshore gas reserves that fundamentally transformed the country’s economy and propelled the ruling family into the top tier of global wealth.

Members of the Al Thani family occupy key political positions and wield extensive influence over Qatar’s domestic economy, with business interests spanning hotels, insurance firms and construction companies.

They also own high-value foreign assets, including luxury properties in London’s Mayfair, stud farms, private banks and the fashion house Valentino.