23-10-2025

Month: April 2024

Gaza protests against Israel reach Europe

Protesters in Paris blocked an entrance to elite university Sciences Po on Friday, refusing to back down after a tent “occupation” was broken up by police a day earlier.

Activists at University College London were planning a rally in the name of a “global student movement for Palestine”, taking inspiration from protests at New York’s Columbia University.

Tensions flared in front of Paris’ prestigious Scie­nces Po University over the Israeli war on Gaza on Friday as pro-Israeli protesters came to challenge pro-Palestinian students occupying the building. Police moved in to keep the two groups apart.

Demonstrations on campus start taking lead from widening US protests

Pro-Palestinian students wore the black-and-white keffiyeh head scarf that has become an emblem of solidarity with Gaza.

They demanded the ins­titution condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza, in a protest that echoed similar demonstrations on US campuses.

“When we see what is happening in the United States, and now in Australia, we’re really hoping it will catch on here in France, the academic world has a role to play,” said 22-year-old Hicham, a master’s student in human rights and humanitarian studies at Sciences Po.

“We hope that will spread to all universities and beyond … we won’t give in until the genocide in Gaza ends,” said 20-year old Zoe, a master’s student in public administration at Sciences Po.

Later in the day, pro-Israel protesters, some wrapped in Israeli or French flags, walked to the building in protest.

Renewed clashes between police and students opposed to Israel’s war in Gaza broke out on US campuses on Thursday, raising questions about forceful methods being used to shut down protests that have intensified since mass arrests at Columbia University last week.

Israel has killed at least 34,305 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in its assault on Gaza.

Pro-Palestine camp at Germany’s parliament

In Germany’s capital Berlin, police on Friday began clearing a pro-Palestinian camp set up in front of the German parliament by activists demanding the government to stop arms exports to Israel and end the criminalisation of the Palestinian solidarity movement gaining momentum in US and other Western countries.

Police dismantled tents, forcibly removed protesters and blocked the surrounding area to stop others arriving at the camp.

The Berlin camp ‘Bese­tzung Gegen Besatzung’ — ‘Occupy Against Occu­pation’ — began on April 8, coinciding with the start of International Court of Justice hearings in Nicaragua’s case aga­inst Germany for providing military aid to Israel.

“The idea was to draw attention to that and … to the German comp­licity and active enabling of the Israeli genocide in Gaza,” the camp organiser, Jara Nassar, said.

Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf, is spending the weekend fighting for his political life.

The SNP leader is expected to make a series of policy announcements in the coming days as he tries to shore up support.

BBC News has been told he will set out plans to create jobs, tackle climate change and improve public services.

Mr Yousaf could face two no-confidence votes next week – one in himself, the other in his government.

The crisis was brought on by his decision to end a governing deal with the Scottish Greens known as the Bute House agreement.

Mr Yousaf said he was determined to focus on “the priorities of the people.”

Yousaf will not resign as Scotland’s first minister

Humza Yousaf: Who is Scotland’s under-threat first minister?

The first minister has previously faced criticism from within his own party about the impact on the SNP and the country of the Greens’ approach to economic and social policy.

Mr Yousaf knows that, and his attempt to regain control of a narrative in danger of spiralling away from him began on Friday in Dundee.

He was due to have been in Glasgow, making a speech about “the labour market in an independent Scotland.”

Instead Mr Yousaf was striding around a building site, trying to look purposeful in a hard hat and high-visibility vest.

Humza Yousaf visited a building site in Dundee on Friday morning

He announced an extra £80m for affordable housing over the next two years, just five months after his Finance Secretary Shona Robison had set out plans for a £205m cut.

“You ask the people about housing and it’s one of the top issues that comes up on the doorstep,” the first minister told me.

Right now though, it is not people on the doorstep he needs to convince. It is opposition politicians in the Scottish Parliament.

There are 63 Scottish National Party MSPs at Holyrood. There are 65 opposition MSPs.

If every opposition member voted against Mr Yousaf in a personal vote of confidence he would lose and, while not legally bound to resign, the political pressure to do so would be immense.

If Mr Yousaf could persuade any or all of the seven-strong Green cohort to change their minds about opposing him, he might survive.

The Scottish Greens have been hugely critical of Humza Yousaf for ending their power-sharing deal

Another option is for him to win the support of Ash Regan, his former SNP leadership rival, who jumped ship to Alex Salmond’s Alba Party in October.

Ms Regan has been setting out the price for her support – and it has been rising.

At first she called for competent government, a renewed focus on independence, and action to protect “the dignity, safety and rights of women and children,” a reference to the gender debate which lies at the heart of many of Mr Yousaf’s troubles.

Then, Ms Regan added to the list, action to preserve the future of the Grangemouth refinery on the Firth of Forth.

Mr Yousaf is writing to the Holyrood leaders of all the parties, offering meetings to discuss how “to make minority government work.”

Asked about Alba’s apparent desire to see Scotland implement the recommendations of the Cass review of English gender healthcare, Mr Yousaf called the document “thoughtful” and “considered,” but continued to insist that responding to its clinical recommendations was a matter for clinicians.

Speaking to BBC News, Ms Regan appeared to hint that that would not be enough.

She also revealed that she not had a single conversation with Mr Yousaf since he defeated her in the leadership contest last spring.

Ms Regan said: “Some of the things he said about me when I left to go to a different political party last year probably shows that it’s always wise to have that sort of level of professional courtesy to people that you work with.”

Ash Regan says she not spoken to Humza Yousaf in a over year

Mr Yousaf had described his erstwhile rival’s departure from the SNP as “not a particularly great loss.”

So what of the Greens?

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, the Central Scotland Green MSP Gillian Mackay defended the power-sharing deal which was originally struck under Nicola Sturgeon in 2021.

“What the first minister is essentially saying to us is ‘you’re dumped, but can we still be friends?'” she said.

“I’m actually quite upset,” said Ms Mackay, apparently in tears, adding: “We don’t want to be in this position, but it’s the first minister that’s put us here.”

From Mr Yousaf, there was a glimpse of something close to regret about all that emotion, when he told me he empathised with the Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater whom he had ejected from his government, costing them their ministerial jobs.

He had not “meant to upset them,” he told me, adding that he understood why they were so angry.

Would his letter to them contain an apology?

Mr Yousaf wouldn’t say.

Either way, back channels between the SNP and opposition parties are already open.

The wheeling and dealing is under way.

It won’t be made any easier by continued attacks on the Greens from some elements of the SNP including the backbencher Fergus Ewing, who was disciplined by his party last year after repeatedly criticising their policies.

After the Bute House agreement collapsed, he described it as “a Faustian pact which would have delivered us to the gates of electoral hell.”

Mr Ewing’s denunciation of the Greens highlights a challenge for Mr Yousaf.

How does he win over the likes of Mr Ewing, Ms Regan, and the former SNP finance secretary Kate Forbes whom he only narrowly defeated to become leader, while also reaching out to the left wing of his party, and to the Greens?

To put it more bluntly: after a week of turmoil, how can he survive for long even if he narrowly wins a confidence vote?

The answer, according to another senior source close to Mr Yousaf, is brutal — “he can’t.”

Rahul Gandhi in the fray as India begins voting in 2nd phase of giant election

Almost one billion people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase general elections that began on April 19 and concludes on June 1, with votes set to be counted on June 4.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a record-equalling third straight term on the back of his economic record, welfare measures, national pride, Hindu nationalism and personal popularity. Surveys suggest he will easily win a comfortable majority.

His challengers have formed an alliance of more than two dozen parties and are promising greater affirmative action, more handouts and an end to what they call Modi’s autocratic rule.

Friday’s polling will be held for 88 of the total 543 seats in the lower house of parliament with 160 million people eligible to vote. It will be spread across 13 states and federal territories in the world’s most populous country.

More than half of those 88 seats are in the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka and the northwestern state of Rajasthan.

The campaign has changed tack since the first phase and become heated as Modi and the main opposition Congress party have faced off on communal issues with Modi accusing Congress of favouring minority Muslims, aiming to dilute affirmative action and planning to impose inheritance tax.

“Congress, which used to make noise in the name of the Constitution, has now been badly exposed for its hidden agenda,” Modi posted on X late on Thursday.

Congress has denied the charges and said Modi is distracting voters from real issues such as unemployment, price rise and rural distress and fears losing.

Rahul Gandhi in the fray

“We spoke to you, we heard what was on your mind and drafted a revolutionary manifesto,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a video message on the eve of the vote. “This has been drafted by the Congress party but it is your voice.”

Gandhi, former Congress president and the face of the party, is among the 1,200 candidates in the fray on Friday.

He is seeking re-election from Wayanad in Kerala and faces Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and BJP’s K Surendran, among others, in the Left Front-ruled state.

In 2019, Gandhi defeated the CPI candidate by more than 400,000 votes, the highest margin in Kerala, although he lost his second seat to BJP in the family bastion of Amethi in north India. India allows a candidate to contest from more than one seat but they can retain only one if they win from more.

Congress slumped to a historic low when it was swept out of power by BJP in 2014 and won its second-lowest number of 52 seats in 2019, with Kerala contributing the highest of 15.

The party is also expected to do better in Karnataka where it won just one of 28 seats in 2019 but gained strength and defeated BJP in state elections last year.

It is still seen to be struggling nationally as bickering within the opposition alliance it leads and graft cases against some leaders have hobbled its challenge to Modi.

The Election Commission and political parties have been worried about voter turnout due to the summer heat and wedding season in some parts of the country with turnout falling to around 65% in the first phase from nearly 70% in 2019.

The poll panel has increased appeals for voter participation since, asking them to “vote with responsibility and pride”.

Parties to get standing committees’ chairmanship as per parliamentary strength

ISLAMABAD: The opposition and treasury benches Thursday reached an understanding that the parliamentary parties would get chairmanships of standing committees according to their numerical strength in the National Assembly.

This was decided during a meeting of chief whips of all the parties presided by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Nevertheless, the NA speaker will make a final decision regarding this understanding next week as the opposition has sought time for consultations on choosing committees for chairmanship.

Shazia Marri, Malik Amir Dogar, Mujahid Khan, Naveed Qamar, Aijaz Jakhrani, Khalid Hussain Magsi, Gul Asfar Khan, Noor Alam Khan, Zain Hussain Qureshi, Aminul Haq, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Hafeezuddin, and Moin Aamir were among those present during the meeting.

Sources claimed that a decision was made to assign the head of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to the opposition and the treasury benches would be given the parliamentary committee on Kashmir. To lead the PAC, the opposition leader would select a member from among its members.

Additionally, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would chair 13 standing committees, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the independents backed by the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) would chair eight of the standing committees each, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) would chair two, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan (IPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) would chair one apiece. The chairmanships of the standing committees would not go to the smaller parliamentary parties.

The sources said the MQM-P decided to reapproach the PML-N to seek chairmanship of three bodies instead of two.

The forum also decided the NA rules for proceedings and settled upon allocation of days for the motion of thanks on presidential speech, budget session and calendar for the parliamentary year. It was resolved at the meeting that the business advisory body would be named by the opposition and the government. The NA is scheduled to meet on April 29, Monday.

The meeting decided that the motion of thanks would be discussed in the session, which would begin on May 13, 2024. Five days would be given for discussion, and each sitting would last for five hours. Members would get 10 minutes each to speak, but the parliamentary leaders would be given more time.

A member of the opposition and a member of the government would speak on a motion of thanks on the first two days. From the third day, two members of the government and one of the opposition benches would be given permission to speak.

Sources said the government and the opposition also reached an understanding for the budget session, which would likely be held from June 6 to 28. The assembly session would be held on Saturday as well, and there would be a six-day break for Eidul Adha. There would be no question hour during the budget session, and winding up of general discussion on budget would be held on June 21, and discussion on the charged expenditure would be held on June 22, cut motions would be taken up from June 24 to 25, consideration and passage of finance bill would be on June 26, and supplementary grants would be taken up on June 27.

CM Maryam ‘entitled’ to wear uniform, Punjab Police issue clarification

LAHORE: After controversy against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz wearing the Punjab Police uniform intensified, the provincial police department Friday issued a statement clarifying that she is indeed “entitled to wear the police uniform” as per the Punjab Police Dress Regulations.

CM Maryam, a day earlier, inspected a passing-out parade of lady constables and traffic assistants at the Police Training College, Chung, while wearing a police uniform.

This move by the chief minister not only garnered appreciation but also led to criticism from people.

The CM, first female to lead a provincial government, donned the uniform that fit her like a glove. Carrying the police baton, the chief minister inspected the parade atop a jeep amid inspiring tunes of the police band.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the police wrote: “This has been widely celebrated by the police personnel, who view it as a commendable show of solidarity. The Central Police Office has received hundreds of messages in which police personnel have lauded this step.”

The law enforcement department further stated that the female police officers are, in fact, celebrating the event, adding that they have also shared various pictures of CM Maryam sporting the uniform.

Punjab Police also shared a notification issued on January 30, 2024, allowing the provincial governor and chief minister to wear the uniform on formal occasions such as parades, while addressing police darbars, visiting police establishments, or any such occasion as specified, for encouraging police personnel and troops.

The department then went on to reveal about its commitment to further improve the law and order situation and to continue the counter-terrorism efforts across the country, as directed by the chief minister in a subsequent meeting held at the Police Training College Chung, Lahore.

Meanwhile, a citizen named Waqar Ali has filed a plea against CM Maryam for wearing the uniform in a Lahore court, insisting that a person cannot wear the uniform of an institution.

The petitioner, therefore, requested the court to register a case against the Punjab chief minister.

The court asked the petitioner to submit the report of the police station’s front desk and adjourned the hearing till April 29.

It should be noted that among her many critics, opposition leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, also criticised CM Maryam for wearing the police uniform to inspect the passing-out parade.

Terming Maryam donning a police uniform a non-serious act, he said the country was being made a laughing stock through such childish acts.

Can Humza Yousaf survive as Scotland’s first minister?

His handling of a deal with the Scottish Green Party, which he inherited from his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon, is the source of much of his trouble.

The pact, known as the Bute House Agreement, was born in the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh in 2021 amidst promises of a new politics of co-operation and collaboration.

On a bright, cold Thursday in April, it ended where it began when Mr Yousaf summoned his two Green ministers to an early morning meeting in Bute House.

Voices were not actually raised but, I was told by someone in the room, the discussion was “pretty robust.”

Minutes later, Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie emerged, scowling in the sunshine.

 

They headed to the Scottish Parliament and promptly laid into Mr Yousaf in harsh and personal terms, accusing him of betrayal, cowardice, and weakness.

Meanwhile, back inside the grand Edinburgh townhouse, the SNP leader was facing the media – and the music – in front of a gilt-edged mirror.

Mr Yousaf smiled as he batted away questions about the Greens’ onslaught.

“This is leadership,” he told us, adding: “This is the ability to say we are taking control as a party and indeed as a government.”

The SNP leader appeared buoyant. So did his team. There was a feeling that, in ditching their partners, Team Yousaf had lightened the load.

Not so fast.

By teatime, faces among some senior Scottish government figures were glum as it became clear that the Greens were going to respond not just with words but with deeds.

Mr Harvie and Ms Slater confirmed that they would vote against Mr Yousaf in a confidence motion at Holyrood, accusing him of caving in to right-wing elements in the SNP.

The Scottish Greens were particularly annoyed about the heat they took when the Scottish government decided to abandon a target to reduce by 75% emissions of planet-warming gases by 2030.

But they were also angry about the shifting sands of social policy.

Together those issues had prompted the leadership to seek a vote of members on the Bute House Agreement in around four weeks’ time.

Responding to Mr Yousaf’s decision to ditch them before they had a chance to ditch him, both Ms Slater and Mr Harvie repeatedly referred to the “progressive agenda” which they claimed the first minister had abandoned.

“If you look at some of the policies that the SNP’s right-wing like to criticise us for, they were in the SNP’s own manifesto,” said Mr Harvie.

Among those policies, he added, was “transgender people’s rights.”

And that most contentious of issues may yet determine Mr Yousaf’s political fate.

For the person who is likely to hold the casting vote when MSPs vote on his future is none other than his former SNP leadership rival, Ash Regan, who resigned as a minister in Ms Sturgeon’s government in protest at attempts to make it easier to legally change gender.

Ms Regan, who is now a member of Alex Salmond’s Alba Party, was sipping lemonade at the parliamentary bar as the drama unfolded, smiling from ear to ear.

She had not yet, she insisted when I asked her, made up her mind about how to vote.

When she defected to Alba last October, Mr Yousaf said she was “not a particularly great loss,” a quote he may yet come to regret.

But what price will Ms Regan want to extract for her support?

A clue might be found in an interaction on social media on Thursday night with the writer JK Rowling.

Both women have campaigned against the SNP’s gender policies.

On X, Ms Regan thanked the author for her “incredible strength and support.”

“Thanks for standing firm for girls and women in Scotland, Ash,” the Harry Potter author replied.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Ms Regan confirmed that she had written to the first minister to ask about “how he will defend the rights of women and children,” as well as seeking detail about how Mr Yousaf planned to advance the cause of independence and make “a return to competent government.”

One Alba Party source told me that they wanted to see the full implementation in Scotland of the recommendations of the Cass Review of English gender healthcare.

“My vote will depend on really what Humza comes up with in response to my letter,” she added.

Ms Regan, said the Alba Party leader Alex Salmond, was now the most powerful politician in the Scottish Parliament.

PM assures Sindh of complete support after CM Murad complains of Centre’s non-cooperation

KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday assured Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah of the federal government’s full support in resolving issues raised by the provincial authorities.

“We will work together like brothers, like a team in the interest of the people of Pakistan,” said the premier while chairing a meeting at the CM House.

The prime minister added that working together is the only option for the sake of progress and prosperity and that they will make no compromises on this.

PM Shehbaz told CM Murad he is present at his “beck and call”.

The premier’s assurance came after the provincial chief minister lamented the lack of support from the Centre regarding Sindh’s inclusion in new development schemes.

“In the last four years, the federation ignored Sindh in new schemes,” the chief minister said briefing PM Shehbaz in Karachi today.

Various matters were discussed during a meeting chaired by the premier, which was held following his arrival to the port city for a day-long visit after being elected as premier for the second time.

During the meeting, the chief minister hoped that the problems of Sindh would now be solved on a priority basis following the arrival of the prime minister.

“The prime minister has the ability to solve big problems quickly,” said the chief minister, who was joined by the provincial cabinet in the high-level meeting, mentioned a statement by the CM House spokesperson.

While briefing the premier about the province’s issues, the chief minister said that in the wake of the havoc caused by the 2022 floods, it was agreed that 70% of the funds for rehabilitation, relief and recovery from damage would be provided by donor agencies, while 30% will be given by the federal and Sindh governments.

After the phase of reconstruction began following the floods, donor agencies gave Rs557.79 billion, said the CM.

He added that the construction of homes for flood victims was a $500 million project in which Sindh released Rs25 billion, while the federal government did not provide any funds.

He also lamented the lack of monetary support for a project regarding the construction of schools, which was worth Rs0.011 million.

The chief minister also spoke about the non-return of funds after direct deductions, while development projects also came under discussion.

Following his briefing, the premier assured CM Murad about jointly resolving all the problems of the province.

The meeting was also attended by federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Musadik Malik, Jam Kamal Khan and Attaullah Tarar.

Meanwhile, provincial ministers who were present in the meeting included Sharjeel Memon and Nasir Shah, among others.

Earlier today after landing at the port city for his day-long visit, the premier paid a visit to the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and is set to hold meetings with Governor Kamran Khan Tessori and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

According to a PM Office statement, the prime minister is set to meet well-known personalities of the business community and a delegation of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Karachi is also scheduled to call on him.

In these meetings, the prime minister will seek suggestions from the business community regarding the improvement of the country’s economy.

Matters related to the law and order situation and governance issues were expected to come under discussion during his interaction with the governor and chief minister.

The issue of increased crime rate is likely to top the agenda as Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) — Shahbaz’s coalition partner — had threatened to launch protests and quit the government if the situation is not brought under control.

MQM-P is at odds with the ruling Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) government (PPP) in Sindh over the increased crime rate in the city, while the provincial authorities have blamed the caretaker setup for the current situation.

In its 31st meeting on Monday, the provincial apex committee decided to intensify measures to eliminate the menace of street crimes and abductions for ransom to address the increasing trends of armed robberies and activities of katcha (riverine area) bandits.

It was decided to adopt special measures for monitoring the sale of stolen or snatched mobile phones and vehicles as spare parts or in their complete form in the markets of Karachi.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar and Inspector General Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon, while briefing the meeting, said that street crime particularly mobile snatching and four-wheeler and two-wheeler theft has decreased due to improved policing, however, the cases of four and two-wheeler snatching have shown a slight increase.

Comparative figures for the first three months (January to April) of 2023 and 2024 indicate a decrease in the number of theft cases reported, according to the briefing given to the body.

In 2024, 15,345 two-wheelers were stolen which is 953 cases less than the 16,298 incidents reported in 2023. Similarly, the theft of four-wheelers decreased by 145 cases with 520 vehicles stolen in 2024 as compared to 665 in 2023.

The number of mobile phones snatched also showed a decline, with 6,813 cases reported in 2024 as compared to 8,688 in 2023, indicating a decrease of 1,875 cases. According to the statistics, there has been a significant increase in the snatching of four-wheelers and two-wheelers.

In 2023, 60 two-wheelers were snatched, and this number increased to 80 in 2024. Similarly, 1,805 two-wheelers were snatched in 2023, while the number of cases rose to 3,094 in 2024. However, the overall figures of street crime have shown a decrease of 1,613 cases.

In 2023, 27,680 cases of street crime were registered, while the number decreased to 26,067 in 2024. The meeting was reported that the police conducted 467 encounters in 2024. In these encounters, 67 criminals were killed, 489 were injured and 1,766 were arrested. The weapons recovered from the criminals included one SMG, 2,111 pistols, 30 rifles, seven shotguns and 18 grenades.

PM Shehbaz urged to extend olive branch to jailed Imran Khan, mend ties with India

A top business leader of the country has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to extend an olive branch to his political rival incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

The PTI founder remains behind bars after he was booked in range of cases containing criminal charges including Official Secrets Act, terrorism, corruption and others.

Khan, the deposed prime minister, was ousted from power via opposition’s no-confidence motion in April 2022. However, the PTI alleged that Khan removal was orchestrated by the United States by supporting the opposition’s no-trust motion.

The PTI founder was arrested in August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case. Later, he was convicted in cipher and un-Islamic marriage cases as well wherein his appeals are currently pending before the respective courts.

The development came during the PM’s day-long visit to Karachi where he addressed the business community and listened to their suggestions and queries related to trade and economy.

During a Q&A session, business tycoon Arif Habib appreciated PM Shehbaz’s efforts during his previous stint in securing the bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

 

Referring to his meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in June last year, the owner of top brokerage firm suggested the prime minister to “shake two more hands” — one with the neighbouring country including India and another with the PTI founder in a bid to ensure stability in the country.

“[…] secondly, you should also shake hand with an inmate of Adiala jail. I think these two steps will yield positive results,” he remarked.

Pakistan downgraded its ties including suspended trade relations with India after the Modi-led government unilaterally changed the special status of the occupied valley in August 2019 — the decision that Islamabad believed undermined the environment for holding talks between the neighbours.

Pakistan has linked its decision to normalising ties with India with the restoration of the special status of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

PM meets Sindh CM

Earlier today, PM Shehbaz assured Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah of the federal government’s full support in resolving issues raised by the provincial authorities.

“We will work together like brothers, like a team in the interest of the people of Pakistan,” said the premier while chairing a meeting at the CM’s House.

The prime minister added that working together is the only option for the sake of progress and prosperity and that they will make no compromises on this.

PM Shehbaz told CM Murad he is present at his “beck and call”.

The premier’s assurance came after the provincial chief minister lamented the lack of support from the Centre regarding Sindh’s inclusion in new development schemes.

“In the last four years, the federation ignored Sindh in new schemes,” the chief minister said briefing PM Shehbaz in Karachi today.

Various matters were discussed during a meeting chaired by the premier, which was held following his arrival to the port city for a day-long visit after being elected as premier for the second time.

Taliban govt joins climate change talks for first time

After four decades of war, Afghanistan is ranked as one of the countries least prepared to tackle the effects of climate change that are spurring extreme weather conditions and warping natural environments.

Foreign aid to Afghanistan has dwindled since the Taliban takeover, in 2021. Donors are wary of backing a government that is commonly considered a pariah, leaving poor and climate-vulnerable communities, further exposed to the detrimental effects.

The Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC), co-hosted three days of talks that came to a close on Tuesday, country director Terje Watterdal told reporters at a news conference in Kabul.

He said it was the first occasion where Taliban officials “joined a parallel session, face-to-face and online, with a broad range of their counterparts in the West, since the change of government in August 2021”.

The talks included universities, diplomats, UN agencies, donors and grassroots members of Afghan society. All sides agreed that “both individual and collective action is required both inside and outside of Afghanistan”, Watterdal said.

“All government ministries committed their full support for the national and international organizations working to combat climate change and reduce the impact of climate change in Afghanistan.”Watterdal said it is “necessary to de-politicise key development issues, such as climate change”.

Iraq hangs 11 convicted of ‘terrorism’

Under Iraqi law, terrorism and murder offences are punishable by death, and execution decrees must be signed by the president.

A security source in southern Dhi Qar province said that 11 “terrorists from the Islamic State group” were executed by hanging at a prison in the city of Nasiriyah, “under the supervision of a justice ministry team”.

A local medical source confirmed that the health department had received the bodies of 11 executed people. They were hanged on Monday “under an anti-terrorism law”, the source added.

All 11 were from Salahaddin province and the bodies of seven had been returned to their families, the medical official said.

Iraqi courts have handed down hundreds of death and life sentences in recent years for people convicted of membership in “a terrorist group”, an offence that carries the death penalty regardless of whether the defendant had been an active fighter.

Iraq has been criticised for trials denounced by rights groups as hasty, with confessions sometimes said to have been obtained under torture.

Copyright © UNews-UK All Rights Reserved. Designed By Webtechnomind IT Solutions