His father mohammad says asif was targeted for this article he wrote about an anti india militant. Translation everyone knows he is innocent. I he is a professional reporter and was jailed for his writing about the militancy. They wanted to make an example out of him. So otherjournalists dont dare to cover topics the government does not approve of. At the time of his arrest, asif� s daughter was six months old. Areeba might have been reunited with herfather when he was given bail last year. But on the day of his release, new charges were brought. Asif was kept in jail. Its part of a troubling pattern. Journalist Sajjad Guljailed for a criminal conspiracy. Well known Magazine Editor fahad shah arrested on terrorism charges. Whenever theyre granted bail, new cases are filed to keep them in custody. Most recently, irfan meraj, who has worked with international outlets, jailed for alleged links to terrorfunding. This complex, which now houses an office of the kashmir police. Until last year, this is where the Kashmir Press club used to be the main body in the region which used to stand up for the rights ofjournalists. Last year, it was shut by the government and in its absence, journalists say they have nowhere to turn to if they feel threatened. And it isntjustjailing weve heard of other forms of intimidation. Dozens ofjournalists in the region are on no fly lists, prevented from leaving the country. Dozens ofjournalists have not had their passports renewed. Weve spoken to 20 journalists on the ground, each of whom have told us theyve been called by the police and questioned about stories theyd done or social media posts that theyve put out. This reporter told us about one such experience. He does not want to be identified, fearing reprisal. I started getting calls from the police over a story i had written. They kept asking why i had done it. Then, i was questioned in person. They told me they know everything about me and my family, which felt very scary. I kept thinking, would i be arrested or harmed physically . And what impact has that had on yourjournalism . Instead of thinking about whether i have enough facts in a report, i worry more about whether it will land me in trouble. We are all self censoring. There is an attempt to silence the press in kashmir once and for all. Mostjournalists told us they fear reprisal by the state. But in a conflict between Indian Forces and underground militant outfits, some say there are other dangers, too. I spoke to a journalist who received threats from an insurgent group. Translation working as a journalist in kashmir is like walking on a razor� s edge. There are threats from all sides. I am constantly afraid of a bullet coming at me and that no one will ever find out who fired that. The impact onjournalism is evident when you look at the papers on any given day. The front pages are pretty much full of statements from either the National Government or the Regional Administration. There are lots of soft stories. But theres barely any journalism in here holding the government to account. We asked the police and the Regional Administration to respond to the allegations made byjournalists who spoke to us. They havent replied. In press statements, the administrative head of the region has insisted that theres absolute Press Freedom in kashmir. What we found belies the claims. On ground in kashmir, Press Freedom has all but been eroded. Fanning the flames of a bitter conflict. This year has seen a dramatic rise in violence and vandalism committed by radicaljewish settlers against settlements settlers against palestinians in the occupied west bank. The palestinian village of burqa recently mourned 19 year old qusai maatan, shot dead. Locals say theyd rushed to protect their farmland from armed settlers. In an unusually strong rebuke, the us called qusais killing jewish terrorism. His relatives afraid to show her face. No one knows who the next qusai is going to be. No one is going to protect us. If and god forbid there are any other confrontations or attacks, our government cant legally do anything. Israel has full control over 60 of the west bank and its soldiers protect Hundreds Of Thousands of settlers. Most of the world sees all of the settlements as illegal. But israel is approving an increasing number and new unauthorised jewish outposts are also being set up, like one in this olive grove owned by palestinians from burqa. Yehuda lieber tells me the bible is his deed to this hilltop, and far right members of the Israeli Cabinet share his ideology. Translation we have an expectation from the government that was elected by right wing votes to settle the land, expand the settlements and not hurt them. Our vision is that all the Land Of Israel will be settled with jews. These Rolling Hills are all part of the west bank. Palestinians who live here have long hoped it would make a large chunk of a state of their own. But with hardline israeli ministers totally opposed to that now in power, building in settlements is being approved at record speed. The goal is to cement an israeli presence, to change the landscape. Without grazing land fortheirsheep, palestinian herders worry for their future. This month, nearly 90 people fled from the slopes where theyd lived for generations, blaming settler harassment. Translation they used to stop outside our house at midnight and honk their car horns, or send kids to harass us. They would scare sheep, then block them in, or empty our water tank. Settlers are emboldened by the new political reality in israel. Gunshot. And theres a sense of impunity that adds to palestinian resentment. With huge new investment in settlements, hostilities here only look set to deepen. Chinas recent floods hit hard in parts of the country not accustomed to them. And its Meteorological Administration says both extreme temperatures and precipitation have definitely increased in recent decades. Its one thing to talk about Climate Change in the abstract, quite another to consider real human impacts. This whole town is having to rebuild after the recent floods and all these businesses, theyve been completely trashed by the floodwaters and the people here, they dont know how theyre going to be able to get back to the way their lives were. Both this mans shops in zhuozhou, hebei province, were submerged by the floodwaters. Translation it will take me 810 years to recover from these losses. The government has not said whether it will compensate us. Every year, chinas flooding seems worse and official statistics appear to confirm it. In 2011, the country recorded six floods a month during the summer. But this year, there are ten times as many. The impact has even struck chinas overall food supply. In august, 40 of the famous Wuchang Rice Crop was wiped out by flooding. Translation when i saw the water hit here, i cried. | our crops are gone. I lost everything. Its hard to calculate. Then, in the south, where flooding is supposed to happen, there are fears of a Drought Closing in. This man grew up next to poyang lake and drives a boat out to Luoxingdun Island when theres enough water. Translation this years water level is very low. I old people say this has only occurred once before, in the early 1950s. Since the song dynasty 1000 years ago, the temple has been surrounded by water during the rainy season. Recent droughts have exposed it much earlier. A couple of months ago, all of this was underwater. But as the waters have receded, the island behind me has become accessible by land, and this Historic Site has become something of an environmental barometer to measure whether water levels are where they should be at any given time of year. Extreme weather is focusing attention on Climate Change in china. But can this huge country combine with the rest of the world quickly enough to do something about it . My dad lived there for five years, my parents, and i lived there for four years and we all went down with cancer and we all seem to have had it within the same sort of time period. We were told not to even bath in the water. Yeah, dont even wash in it. There is increasing. International concern. This is a Massive Public health threat. Overlooking the jerseys west coastline, a cluster of farms and houses lie at the foot of the airport. Nestled amongst sand dunes, the landscape is isolated and peaceful and yet, it was the heart of chemical contamination. Almost a0 years ago, Firefighting Foam made by American Company 3m and tested at the airport Training Ground leaked into private Borehole Water supplies. It was 1985 when People Living in the area began to report signs of a mysterious Foam Spilling out from taps and drains. This farm is one of the closest properties to the airport. Hi. And farmer ted michel was amongst the first to notice that something was not quite right. Over here, from this tap in fact, the cold water tap at the kitchen sink. Virtually like a head of beer on the top and continued to overflow. I called Public Health first of all, i think. They took some samples of the water and took it back to 3m. They came back and said it was their foam they confirmed it, yeah. We were told not to even bath in the water. Yeah, dont even wash in it. On one sunday afternoon, ted returned to find the hill connecting the fire Training Ground and his farm covered in white foam, destroying his cauliflower crop. Its as if there had been a snowstorm. Our Farming Programme was affected. We were short of cauliflower for a period. Probably in excess of £1,000. We now know the foam contained toxic man made chemicals called pfas. Theyre found in all sorts of things, from saucepans and clothes to food packaging, and are known as forever chemicals because they dont break down. They find their way into Water Sources across the world and most people have a small quantity of these in their blood. This was just the beginning of whats been a very long battle for islanders. These letters and reports and photos have been shared with me by local people and showjust how highly contentious this issue has been for decades. But what do these documents actually tell us . In 1985, when the foam was first discovered, the airport said they only used water at their Training Ground. In 1990, a sample confirmed the foam contained products including 3ms lightwater foam, used at the airport. In 1993, the airport took responsibility for the contamination. The airport provided bottled water and recommended for properties to switch to mains Drinking Water, but refused to pay for water rates until later. The Jersey Evening post asked in the years that followed, a Small Research linked pfas to Serious Health concerns, Somejersey Residents began to question whether the illnesses were down to chemical poisoning. Bladder cancer, kidney cancer, thyroid problems. Graham and his family lived in a cottage just north of the Training Ground in the mid 1990s. My dad lived there for five years, my parents and i lived there for four years and we all went down with cancer and we all seem to have had it in the same sort of time period. At the age of 52, i was diagnosed with a blood cancer. They said i could have possibly had it for even 20 years. Your family does not have a history of cancer . There was no known history of serious cancer. 3. 5 years ago i underwent a Stem Cell Transplant which was horrendous for anybody to go through and my young son had to witness all the pain and suffering that went on and its something that has affected him to this day. The toxic effects of the chemicals were relatively unknown at the time of contamination. In 2005, thejersey government were about to sign a confidential settlement with the chemical manufacturer 3m to finance clearing up the area, something some ministers tried desperately to block. We believe the states ofjersey should not surrender forever their ability to sue the manufacturers of the foam, and we dont know what the evolving science is going to demonstrate to us in five or ten or 15 years. That can take many years, our time, that case against the Foam Manufacturer would not improve. Despite push back the deal was signed and sm gave despite pushback, the deal was signed and sm gave thejersey government £2. 6 million, which went towards cleaning up the area. TheJersey Evening post, which i work for, along with the Daily Express had a front page of the time, secret deal in the state assembly, so we knew it existed. Julian is a localjournalist, and after reporting extensively on pfas, he was leaked a couple of the deal revealing thejersey government had given up their right to sue 3m and would support the Chemical Company if any locals took legal action. That was the same that really struck me, i was surprised the government would be willing to commit to work against their own residents, should they feel as though they want to make a case. I have some sympathy for the government at the time. This was announced. They had to clean up the fire Training Ground and also youve got to remember at the time that the nefarious implications of pfas and the links with potential cancer and other ailments was not fully known. In hindsight, i think they made a mistake. I think the government still has the opportunity to make good any wrongs of the past. After years of local lobbying, the jersey government agreed to test the blood of People Living near the airport for pfas, one of the only places in the world to do so. In 2022, the results showed many had levels than normal of two pfas compounds, and although grahams results were not amongst the highest, he has undergone a Stem Cell Transplant and Cancer Treatment since exposure. Julian lived just outside the Catchment Area and did not qualify for the government Testing Programme but he took an independent test result through a german lab which showed his levels were three times higher than their national standard. I grew up in the west of the island, in the environs of it, i went to Nursery School in the bay. I spent a large chunk of my time down there on the beach, playing with friends. It showed to me this is a significant issue and its notjust affecting those who live in the so called plume area around the airport. Jerseys Public Health has set up a new Scientific Panel to investigate pfas related concerns and to advise the government. We are in this area which is a bit of a grey area. Most of the International Research is showing there is a link, if you like, an association, between pfas and poor health, but it is still not quite proving that pfas was the cause. The Environmental Protection agency says pfas can cause Serious Health problems like cancer, the European Environmental agency links pfas with high certainty to Health Issues including certain cancers the us environmental cancers the us Environmental Protection security imposed restrictions on Drinking Water, so why is jersey still saying there isnt enough research . There is an awful lot of overlap, i agree. There is increasing concern and we need to sort Good Research from the poorer quality research. We aim to be as transparent as we possibly can. Whatever is killing those cows is in the Drinking Water. Forever chemicals have even caught the attention of hollywood. Well, now you can defend me. The film dark waters brought pfas contamination to the global stage. 190 cows. You tell me theres nothing wrong. Based on the true story of a lawyer who took On Chemical Giant dupont when it contaminated a small town in West Virginia with toxic chemicals. And that lawyer robert bilott, described as a Whistle Blower On water contamination, says chemical giants have known about the dangers for decades. This is a Massive Public health threat. We are talking about chemicals that are being found in the Drinking Water and in people all over the planet. And at levels that frankly are raising real concerns. Some of these companies that actually created and invented these chemicals going back right around back right around the time of world war ii, we see when we started to dig into internal documents from these companies, is that they were aware