Month: June 2022

He died when police and protesters clashed in Secunderabad city in the southern state of Telangana on Friday.

Police reportedly opened fire into the crowd but reports said it was not clear if the man died due to a gunshot wound.

Several states have seen huge protests against the plan to hire soldiers on a fixed four-year term.

Protesters say the government’s plan to hire temporary soldiers will reduce their chances of getting coveted permanent military jobs, which guarantee fixed salaries and pensions.

Young people in India’s smaller towns and villages prepare for years to become soldiers in the armed forces as the job brings prestige, a regular income and for some, a way out of poverty.

Many have taken to the streets in several states, including in Bihar, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, to protest against the plan.

Protesters have burnt buses and railway coaches in Bihar and Telangana. In some places, they have accused the police of using excessive force.

The new Agnipath scheme is aimed at people aged between 17.5 and 21 years. It says that successful candidates will join the armed services for four years, after which only 25% of them will be retained.

The soldiers will go through training for six months and then will be deployed for three and a half years. During this period, they will get a monthly starting salary of 30,000 rupees ($384; £316), along with additional benefits which will go up to 40,000 rupees by the end of the four-year service.

The reform announcement is aimed at cutting the army’s expenditure on ballooning salaries and pensions – which consume more than half of its budget – and freeing up funds to modernise the forces. The government said this would also “enhance the youthful profile of the armed forces”.

Protests against the scheme began in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar earlier in the week. But they have now spread to several other states.

In Telangana’s Secunderabad city, hundreds of young candidates entered a railway station. Some of them reportedly set shops and coaches on fire. Some protesters told the BBC that around 2,000 of them had arrived at the railway station.

The protesters gathered to demonstrate on the railway tracks and halted all train movement for hours.

They threw packages and goods on the tracks and set them on fire.

In a bid to pacify protesters, the federal government announced late on Thursday night that candidates aged up to 23 years could apply under the scheme in the first year.

On Friday, the government also shared posts on social media, explaining the various opportunities it said would be available to short-term soldiers after they finish their stint. It said that police forces will be asked to accommodate those who successfully finish their four-year terms in the armed forces.

Critics of the scheme say that it will weaken the armed forces and also increase unemployment rates in the country.

“It’s a foolish move, one that could affect the efficiency of the security forces,” said retired Major General Sheonan Singh.

“Saving money is good but it should not be done at the cost of defence forces. If you go to war with an experienced soldier, will a person with four years of training be able to replace him on his death? These things don’t work like this.”

But those who support the move say that such a plan was needed to make the forces more efficient.

Retired Maj Gen SB Asthana said the step would benefit the army as it would help modernise India’s forces.

“It is difficult to train old people in modern technology. But this generation is more capable. This plan will give freedom to the army to keep the best 25% of the soldiers and let the rest go.”

Concerts and large public gatherings have been called off in the Gironde department around Bordeaux.

On Thursday, parts of France hit 40C earlier in the year than ever before, with temperatures expected to peak on Saturday.

Scientists say periods of intense heat are becoming more frequent and longer lasting as a result of global warming.

Spain, Italy and the UK are also experiencing high temperatures.

In Gironde, officials said public events, including some of the official 18 June Resistance celebrations, will be prohibited from Friday at 14:00 (12:00 GMT) “until the end of the heat wave”. Indoor events at venues without air-conditioning are also banned.

Private celebrations, such as weddings, will still be allowed.

“Everyone now faces a health risk”, local official Fabienne Buccio told France Bleu radio.

The French interior ministry warned people to be extremely careful and not expose themselves to the weather.

State forecaster Meteo France said it was the earliest hot spell ever to hit the country, which has been caused by a mass of hot air moving from north Africa.

Temperatures could hit 39C in Paris and droughts have also raised the risk of wildfires, the forecaster said.

“I’m 86 years old, I was born here, but I think this is the worst heatwave I’ve ever seen,” Jacqueline Bonnaud told the AFP news agency in the southern city of Toulouse.

The increased use of air-conditioners and fans was forcing France to import electricity from neighbouring countries, grid operator RTE said.

In Spain, which has just experienced its hottest May since the beginning of the century, temperatures are forecast to hit highs of 43C this weekend, the Aemet weather service said.

There have been forest fires in Catalonia, including one which could grow to 20,000 hectares before it’s contained, the regional government said.

Water is so low in large stretches of Italy’s largest river, the Po, that locals can walk through the middle of the expanse of sand and wartime shipwrecks are resurfacing.

In the UK, temperatures are expected to reach 33C in southern England, while a level three heat-health alert has been issued for London.

Extreme heat isn’t confined to Europe this week.

On Wednesday a third of the entire population of the United States were advised to stay indoors due to record temperatures. In India, Delhi has recorded a maximum temperature of at least 42C on 25 days this summer, the India Meteorological Department reported.

Climate change is causing global temperatures to rise. Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, released into Earth’s atmosphere in large volumes are trapping the sun’s heat, causing the planet to warm.

This has brought more extreme weather, including record-breaking high temperatures across the world.

In a second letter outlining why he had quit, Lord Geidt said reports it was related to steel tariffs were a “distraction”.

“I could not be a party to advising on any potential law-breaking,” he said.

Lord Geidt was the second ethics adviser to quit under Mr Johnson, after Sir Alex Allan left in 2020.

He left his role on Wednesday, accusing the prime minister of putting him in an “impossible and odious position” over an issue he believed would amount to a breach of the ministerial code – the rules about standards in government.

In a letter seen by BBC News on Friday evening, he elaborated on why he quit.

Lord Geidt told the chairman of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Conservative MP William Wragg, there had been “confusion about the precise cause of my decision”.

He said his concern expressed in his letter to the PM was “simply one example of what might yet constitute deliberate breaches by the United Kingdom of its obligations under international law”.

In his letter, Lord Geidt added that former Cabinet Secretary Lord Butler had represented his position “precisely” when he said, in a BBC interview on Thursday, that he had believed he should not “be asked to give advanced cover to the prime minister where there is contemplation of doing something that may be in breach of international law”.

“My letter has been interpreted to suggest that an important issue of principle was limited to some narrow and technical consideration of steel tariffs,” Lord Geidt wrote.

“The cautious language of my letter may have failed adequately to explain the far wider scope of my objection.”

In his original resignation letter, Lord Geidt said he had come close to quitting over breaches of Covid lockdown rules in Downing Street.

But he said he ultimately stood down after had been asked for advice this week on another issue he believed would amount to a deliberate breach of the code.

Lord Geidt “wouldn’t have taken this decision lightly” – former PM adviser

In his response, Mr Johnson said his intention was to seek Lord Geidt’s “advice on the national interest in protecting a crucial industry”.

Downing Street said on Friday it was right for the PM to take time to reflect on whether Lord Geidt should be replaced.

A Number 10 spokesman said: “It may be that the prime minister decides to make a like-for-like replacement, or it might be that we set up a different body that undertakes the same functions.”

The prime minister met President Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise trip to the nation’s capital Kyiv.

He pulled out of a conference of northern Tory MPs at the last minute and before the Wakefield by-election.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said PM’s Kyiv trip had been “important”, adding he was not “affronted” by him cancelling speaking at the conference.

But Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership business group, told the BBC it was a “missed opportunity” to engage with his MPs and people from the region.

“As much as I value and think the importance of him being in Ukraine is significant, the issue is timing. The prime minister could have done that potentially another time.”

Mr Johnson was making his second visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February.

He had been due to speak at a conference in Doncaster ahead of the by-election in Wakefield, which was triggered after Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

Mr Berry, the leader of the Northern Research Group group of Conservative MPs, said Mr Johnson’s decision not to attend the conference was “not a snub”.

But he later told Channel 4 News: “Clearly, people were disappointed. We had 30-plus colleagues here and 400 members.”

Mr Wallace said such visits had to be organised in “total secrecy” and it was important for Mr Johnson to show support for an ally that was at war.

“Helping Ukraine win and trying to help at home are linked. Part of the inflation we see comes from gas and food prices which are partly driven upwards because of this conflict,” Mr Wallace tweeted.

Before turning up in Kyiv, Boris Johnson had been due in Doncaster to address some of his MPs from across the north of England.

They were poised to press the prime minister for more investment and local powers, and possibly pose tricky questions on taxation levels and the cost of living.

Jake Berry, the group’s chair, insisted the decision to head to Ukraine instead of Yorkshire wasn’t seen as a snub, saying the prime minister’s plans can understandably change.

But there was clear disappointment from some MPs at the last-minute cancellation – and a warning that Boris Johnson had to deliver for those in the midlands and north of England.

Boris Johnson’s response to the war in Ukraine is regarded within his party as something he has handled well.

But with questions over his leadership and two difficult by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton taking place next week, his domestic woes aren’t going anywhere.

Speaking at a joint press conference earlier with President Zelensky, Mr Johnson outlined the UK’s training programme for Ukrainian troops, saying it would harness “that most powerful of forces, the Ukrainian determination to win”.

“Two months on from my last visit, the Ukrainian grit, determination and resilience is stronger than ever, and I know that unbreakable resolve will long outlive the vain ambitions of President Putin,” he said.

Downing Street said the UK-led training scheme would have the potential to train up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers every 120 days and would allow them to “accelerate their deployment, rebuild their forces and scale-up their resistance”.

Soldiers would learn “battle-winning skills for the front line, as well as basic medical training, cyber-security and counter explosive tactics”.

The government added international partners would also be invited to host the programme.

If the offer is accepted by Mr Zelensky there would be discussions about the size of the training operation, which is expected to take place outside of Ukraine.

The previous Operation Orbital saw the UK train more than 22,000 Ukrainian personnel from 2015 up until the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

No 10 said the leaders also discussed how the UK could “play a pivotal role in ending the blockade of grain”.

Mr Zelensky’s Telegram account posted a message saying: “Many days of this war have proved that Great Britain’s support for Ukraine is firm and resolute.

“Glad to see our country’s great friend Boris Johnson in Kyiv again.”

Mr Johnson’s trip comes after visits to Ukraine by European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Following their trip, the European Commission has backed Ukraine’s bid to be given candidacy status to join the EU – bringing it one step closer to joining the bloc.

He has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030, up from the previous conservative government’s target of between 26% and 28%.

Australia is one of the world’s highest per capita carbon emitters.

The target brings the country more in line with other developed economies’ Paris climate accord commitments.

Canada is aiming for a reduction of 40% by 2030 from 2005 levels, while the United States has a target of up to 52%.

“When I’ve spoken with international leaders in the last few weeks, they have all welcomed Australia’s changed position,” Mr Albanese, who assumed office last month, said after notifying the United Nations.

In recent years, Australia has suffered severe drought, historic bushfires, successive years of record-breaking floods, and six mass bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef.

And it is racing towards a future full of similar disasters, the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warns.

The former government had angered allies with its short-term emissions reductions target – which is half what the IPCC says is needed if the world has any chance of limiting warming to 1.5C.

The target comes as major fossil fuel companies in Australia seek to decarbonise their operations.

Global miner BHP this week announced it had been unable to find a buyer for its coal mines in the Australian state of New South Wales and would instead close the project by 2030.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said that the commitment was a message to the international community.

“We send the message to the rest of the world, to our friends and allies, that we’re partners in tackling the climate emergency. We send the message to Australians that we seek to end the climate wars, as the prime minister said,” he added.

“For years, the Australian government told the world that was all too hard,” he told a news conference in Canberra.

Mark Howden, vice chair of the IPCC, said the commitment was a “very big deal”.

“Simply numerically, we’re talking around about a 15% difference. And that 15% would be equivalent to taking all of our cars off the road or taking agriculture out of our economy,” he said.

Australia is one of the highest emitters per capita in the world, but the commitment could take the number down from 24 tonnes per person down to around 14 tonnes per person, he said.

While it will not result in Australia being considered a global leader on the climate, “we’re no longer a laggard”, Mr Howden said.

Speaking last week, Mr Albanese said Australia had been moved off the “naughty corner” on climate change.

“We’ve been in the naughty corner for nine years,” he said.

Texas Senator John Cornyn has played a key role in drafting the framework of a proposed firearms bill following mass shootings in Texas and New York.

Leaving Washington, he said: “I’m through talking.”

The plans include tougher checks for buyers under the age of 21 and cracking down on illegal gun purchases.

The proposals have shown some rare cross-party cooperation on the issue of gun control, but still fall far short of what many Democrats and activists have been calling for.

Recent attempts to tighten gun laws in the US – which has the highest rate of firearms deaths among the world’s wealthy nations – have failed to get the required support in Congress.

The flurry of action comes after 19 young children and two adults were killed at a school in Uvalde, Texas, less than two weeks after a racially motivated shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, left 10 dead.

But Mr Cornyn’s walk-out has placed a question mark over the legislation’s future. Axios, a political outlet, reported earlier on Thursday that conservative colleagues of the Texas senator are frustrated at his handling of the talks and want time to consider the text of any proposal before it is introduced to the chamber floor.

The legislative window to pass a new law is narrowing as November’s mid-term elections loom, but the lead Democratic negotiator said he was still hopeful the bill could go to a vote next week.

A bipartisan group of senators has been working to draft the text of a bill for lawmakers to vote on before they leave for a two-week 4 July recess.

But they have become bogged down in recent days, as Democrats and Republicans disagree on provisions that would strip certain Americans of their guns.

Mr Cornyn told reporters on Thursday that now is the time for action: “I don’t know what they have in mind, but I’m through talking.”

Earlier in the day, he warned that time was running out to reach an agreement.

“We’re about run out of our rope here, and we got to make some final decisions today if we’re going to be able to get this on the floor next week,” he told radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis told reporters later on Thursday that the group was still inching towards an agreement.

“To land a deal like this is difficult. It comes with a lot of emotions,” said Mr Murphy, who is leading the Democratic negotiations.

“It comes with political risk to both sides. But we’re close enough that we should be able to get there.”

Senators say disagreements remain over incentives for states to enact so-called red flag laws, which allow police to seize guns from people deemed dangerous. Talks are also ongoing to close the “boyfriend loophole”, which permits abusive partners to buy guns.

If both the Senate and House of Representatives can agree on a bill, it would go to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

President Biden has said the plans are a step in the right direction but fall far short of what he called for.

Despite the high rate of firearms deaths, many people in the US cherish their gun rights, which are protected by the Constitution’s Second Amendment to “keep and bear arms”.

These are the first gun safety laws in decades to receive this level of bipartisan support, with previous Democratic attempts at strengthening controls frustrated by Republicans.

Similar efforts in the wake of a previous school shooting at Sandy Hook in Connecticut nearly a decade ago – in which 20 children and six adults were killed – failed to get the required number of votes in Congress.

The Senate, or upper chamber of Congress, is currently split – with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans – and legislation must have 60 votes to overcome a blocking manoeuvre known as the filibuster.

Ten of the 20 senators who proposed the measures are Republicans, meaning the new legislation could reach that threshold.

The number of daily flights will be cut to 825 in July and 850 in August, down from 900 in previous years.

It comes after the government and regulators wrote to airlines telling them to ensure their summer timetables were “deliverable”.

Tens of thousands of passengers have been hit by cancellations and delays at UK airports in recent weeks.

Gatwick said it had taken the decision to temporarily reduce flights following a review of its operations, to help passengers “experience a more reliable and better standard of service”.

Stewart Wingate, the airport’s chief executive, said that during the week of the Jubilee a number of companies operating at the airport had struggled because of staff shortages.

“By taking decisive action now, we aim to help the ground handlers – and also our airlines – to better match their flying programmes with their available resources,” he said.

More than 150 flights across the UK were cancelled during the week of the Platinum Jubilee, as many people tried to take advantage of the four-day weekend to travel.

Airlines also suffered severe disruption during spikes in demand at the half-term school holiday and during Easter, prompting apologies from companies such as British Airways, TUI and EasyJet.

Gatwick said it had recruited 400 new staff to help passengers pass through security checks this summer and more new recruits would start in the coming weeks.

But the airport’s review found that many companies based at the airport still had a severe lack of staff and if the issue was not addressed, passengers could experience queues delays and cancellations.

The aviation industry made thousands of employees redundant during the pandemic and many have yet to be replaced, despite a spike in demand for travel.

Following a wave of cancellations and delays at airports, the Department of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority wrote to airlines telling them to review their schedules and to cancel flights that could not be delivered “at the earliest possibility”.

Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the first minister’s priorities were “all wrong” and she should instead focus on issues such as Covid recovery and closing the attainment gap.

These should not have to “play second fiddle” to a referendum, he said.

But Nicola Sturgeon insisted she had a mandate for a referendum.

At First Minister’s Questions, she insisted that the case for independence was not separate to the big challenges – and instead was part of the solution to them.

Mr Ross said the first minister could not say whether “ferries would float” by next October – a reference to two new CalMac vessels under construction at a nationalised shipyard that are five years late and £150m over budget.

He added that the Scottish government would not have closed the poverty related attainment gap or returned NHS services to normal by then, and that the court backlogs would also not have been cleared.

The Scottish Conservative leader told the first minister: “Your priorities are all wrong at the worst possible time.

“It is a crucial moment right now for public services and our economy.

“We’ve just gone through a pandemic, war in Europe has hiked energy prices, there is a global cost-of-living crisis.”

He said it is time for people to “pull together” to tackle the issues at hand, adding: “A focus on our recovery, that’s what the Scottish people overwhelmingly want, not a referendum.

“We need a strong government for all of Scotland, but we’re getting a weak campaign group for the nationalist minority that values grievance over governing.”

The first minister replied: “Independence is about ensuring that we can better meet the priorities of the Scottish people.”

She said many of the challenges Scotland faced were exacerbated because the country was not independent, and highlighted the first in a series of papers making a “fresh” case for independence that was published by the government on Tuesday.

Ms Sturgeon claimed Mr Ross was not a democrat and accused him of being “terrified” of the debate on independence.

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the first minister wanted to “hide and distract from her failures” by focusing on independence.

And he said this week had marked the return of a Nicola Sturgeon who wanted to divide the country and “pit Scot against Scot”.

Mr Sarwar added: “No wonder Nicola Sturgeon wants to hide and distract from her failures.

“Not focussing on the rising child and pensioner poverty on her watch. Not focussing on the drug deaths that have more than doubled on her watch. Not focussing on the attainment gap that is still wide open on her watch. Not focussing on the 700,000 people waiting for NHS treatment on her watch.

“After 15 years of this SNP government and eight years as first minister, when will she stop pretending she is in opposition and start governing for the people of Scotland?”