24-10-2025

Month: July 2024

Mayors to visit Downing Street for devolution talks

The first government meeting with mayors to discuss “shifting power out of Westminster” towards the regions will take place on Tuesday, the new deputy prime minister has said.

England’s regional mayors are due to meet with Angela Rayner, who is also communities secretary, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street where they will discuss “a major programme of devolution”, the government said.

Ms Rayner said “for too long” Westminster has “tightly gripped control” and “held back opportunities for towns, cities and villages across the UK”.

In the meeting, local mayors will be asked to identify local specialisms which could contribute to a “national industrial strategy”.

Labour has made growing the economy one of its five “missions” for government.

As part of this, it says local leaders will be required to draw up Local Growth Plans, which “identify growth sectors and the infrastructure they need to thrive”.

Twelve areas of England, including Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Tees Valley, currently have devolution deals giving powers over areas such as transport, housing and employment.

Tees Valley’s Conservative mayor Ben Houchen, who was re-elected for a third consecutive term in May, is currently the only metro mayor who is not a Labour politician.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin are also among those due to attend the meeting.

PM orders befitting punishment for officials overbilling power consumers

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed the authorities concerned to take action against officials and personnel of the power distribution companies (DISCOs) involved in charging for “extra units” in the bills of electricity consumers.

The prime minister directed the power division to immediately suspend such officials of the DISCOs, and ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to launch an investigation against them.

The directives came during a meeting chaired by PM Shehbaz on reforms in power sector and solarisation process, the PM Office said in statement.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Jam Kamal Khan, Sardar Awais Khan Leghari, Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State Ali Pervaiz Malik and other senior officials.

The prime minister said that exemplary punishment should be given to those officials who had included extra units in the monthly bills of consumers with their anti-public attitude, besides unmasking them who had sent extra units to the protected consumers category, using less than 200 units per month.

During the meeting, the premier directed the authorities concerned to accelerate efforts over renewable energy for power generation, adding that Pakistan could no longer afford to generate power on imported fuel.

He also expressed his resolve not to pass the buck to the poor segment of society of the wrong policies measures of the past.

The prime minister said that the consumers would get relief in their monthly bills after utilisation of affordable renewable energy resources for power generation.

He directed for immediate closure of dysfunctional government-run power units and those which had been producing expensive electricity.

The prime minister observed that the world was generating power by using renewable energy, adding in Pakistan, there was immense capacity to produce solar power.

He ordered taking of measures to tap solar energy potential on priority basis.

UNHCR chief embarks on Pakistan visit, meets Afghan refugees in Peshawar

Spokesperson Qaisar Afridi told Dawn.com that Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), met delegations of Afghan refugees who apprised him about their problems in Pakistan.

 

“The UNHCR chief assured Afghan refugees that he would discuss with Pakistani officials about all issues of the refugees,” the spokesperson said.

According to Afridi, the Afghan delegation comprised registered refugees and those who arrived in Pakistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

The UNHCR chief also met Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Amir Muqam in Peshawar in Peshawar, the minister’s office in Islamabad said.

SAFRON ministry also deals with Afghan refugees.

“Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees for 40 years despite serious economic difficulties,” an official statement quoted the SAFRON minister as telling Grandi.

This is the first visit of the UNHCR chief to Pakistan after the country announced a repatriation plan for “illegal foreigners” in October last year.

Taliban rulers in Afghanistan had angrily reacted to Pakistan’s decision to expel what Pakistan call illegal Afghans and called for a halt to the operation.

According to an estimate nearly 500,000 Afghans, who did not have legal documents, have been repatriated to Afghanistan since November 1, 2023. Officials had earlier stated that about 1.7 million illegal Afghans are living in Pakistan.

“The refugee issue is becoming complicated across the world. Conflicts are leading to refugee issues and attention must be paid to resolve conflicts,” Minister Muqam told the UNHCR chief.

Grandi-led UNHCR delegation praised Pakistan for taking care of Afghan refugees for a long time, the statement further said.

An official said that the UN refugee agency delegation will hold formal talks in Islamabad on Monday, the second day of his three-day visit.

The UNHCR had raised concerns over Pakistan’s announcement for undocumented foreigners to leave as the policy also put pressure on Afghans including registered refugees and others with valid documents.

However, Afghan Refugee Commissioner Abbas Khan quashed rumour media reports that Pakistan has started sending back those who have Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC).

There are over 800,000 ACC holders, according to UNHCR’s data.

Abbas Khan told Dawn.com that a decision of the ACC holders will be made in consultation with all stakeholders including Afghanistan and the UNHCR.

Pakistan had issued ACC cards to undocumented Afghans in 2017.

According to the UNHCR estimates there are 1.3 million registered Afghans who hold PoR (Proof of Registration Cards).

Officials insist that nearly 700,000 Afghans have arrived in Pakistan since the Taliban takeover in Aug. 2021. Most of them wanted to settle in third countries, however, around 75,000 have moved to other countries.

Kim’s powerful sister slams S. Korea live-fire border drills

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un slammed Seoul Monday for recent military drills near the border, saying the South must be “suicidal” and warning of a “terrible disaster”.

After Pyongyang sent multiple barrages of trash-carrying balloons across the border, Seoul last month fully suspended a tension-reducing military deal and resumed live-fire drills on border islands and by the demilitarised zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Yo Jong, who is a key regime spokesperson, said this was “an undisguised war game (and) an inexcusable and explicit provocation that aggravates the situation,” according to a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

South Korea’s border drills were “suicidal hysteria, for which they will have to sustain terrible disaster,” she added.

Kim Yo Jong said it was “clear to everyone… the riskiness of the above-said reckless live ammunition firing drills of the ROK army coming nearer to the border of the DPRK,” referring to the South by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

If Seoul’s exercises breach the North’s sovereignty, Kim Yo Jong warned: “our armed forces will immediately carry out its mission,” without giving further details.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with Pyongyang ramping up weapons testing as it draws ever closer to Russia.

Seoul and Washington have accused Pyongyang of supplying arms to Moscow for use in the war in Ukraine — which would violate rafts of sanctions on both countries.

Earlier this year, the nuclear-armed North declared Seoul its chief enemy, and has jettisoned agencies designed for outreach and diplomacy with Seoul, while ramping up security along the shared border.

North Korean soldiers have crossed the border three times in recent weeks, likely accidentally Seoul’s military says, while they were working to lay mines, clear foliage and build likely anti-tank barriers.

Kim Yo Jong also criticised recent trilateral drills between the United States, South Korea and Japan, saying they were “the height of confrontational hysteria”.

“The war drumbeats clearly showed that the US and other hostile forces’ rash manoeuvres for military hegemony in the region have crossed the red line,” she added.

Floods and landslides kill 14 in Nepal: police

Flooding in neighbouring India, as well as in downstream Bangladesh, has also caused widespread damage and impacted millions.

“Police are working with other agencies and locals to find the missing people,” Nepalese police spokesperson Dan Bahadur Karki told AFP.

Those killed and missing are in multiple locations

 

Monsoon rains from June to September bring widespread death and destruction every year across South Asia, but the number of fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years.

Experts say climate change and increased road construction are exacerbating the problem.

Parts of Nepal have been receiving heavy rainfall since Thursday, prompting disaster authorities in the Himalayan nation to warn of flash floods in multiple rivers.

There have been reports of inundation in several districts of lowland areas bordering India.

Last month 14 people were killed in Nepal in ferocious storms that brought landslides, lightning and flooding.

In India, floods have swamped the northeastern state of Assam, with six people killed in the last 24 hours, Assam’s Disaster Management Authority said on Sunday.

That takes the death toll from the downpours since mid-May to 58.

 

In low-lying Bangladesh, downstream from India, the disaster management agency said floods had impacted more than two million people.

Much of the country is made up of deltas where the Himalayan rivers the Ganges and the Brahmaputra wind towards the sea after coursing through India.

The summer monsoon brings South Asia 70-80 per cent of its annual rainfall.

Eight killed in gun battles in India-held Kashmir: police

Police Inspector General Vidhi Kumar Birdi told AFP that authorities in the disputed territory had “carried out two different operations” in villages in the Kulgam district.

Birdi said two members of the security forces had been killed, with clashes continuing in Modergram and Frisal Chingam villages.

He claimed that the authorities had retrieved two bodies from Modergram and four others from Frisal Chingam.

This is the latest incident in an uptick of attacks in the disputed territory.

India and Pakistan both claim the disputed territory in full and have fought three wars for control of the Himalayan region.

From King’s Speech to first budget: What we can expect from the new government’s first 100 days

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has met First Minister John Swinney for the first time since Labour’s landslide election win.

Speaking after their meeting, the prime minister said his new government “got a clear mandate for change” in the election, and one thing that needed “reset” was the relationship between the Scottish and UK government.

“We are of a joint view that we can work constructively together,” he said.

The new PM is touring the United Kingdom, and will next visit Wales and Northern Ireland before meeting mayors in England.

Mr Swinney said the pair had agreed to improving the relationship between their governments, which had been “very poor” under the last Conservative administration.

They committed to working collaboratively on areas of “common ground”, Mr Swinney said, including growing the economy, delivering net zero and improving public services.

Mr Swinney said he hoped Sir Keir was able to “fulfil” his commitment to reset the relationship.

Sir Keir held a meeting with Mr Swinney at the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh.

The visit comes days after a dramatic upturn of Labour’s fortunes in Scotland.

The party now has 37 of Scotland’s 57 MPs – up from just one in 2019 – while the SNP’s tally fell by 39, leaving them with just nine MPs at Westminster.

On independence, the prime minister said there were “clearly differences” between them on constitutional issues.

Mr Swinney reiterated his support for independence, but acknowledged the SNP had to “reflect” on the result of the election.

Asked if the Scottish government still believed it had a mandate for an independence referendum, he said in 2021 the electorate voted “in favour of the objective of Scottish independence and the delivery of that independence through a referendum”.

“I think the democratic will of the people of Scotland from that election should be respected,” he said

Pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration outside Bute House, where the meeting was taking place.

The leaders had been expected to pose for a picture at the front door.

However, due to the protest the prime minister entered and left via a back entrance.

Mr Swinney said they did not discuss the issue of Gaza but said the protest showed the “strength of feeling” on the issue.

He called for an immediate ceasefire, arms sales to Israel to end and for Palestine to be recognised as an independent state.

Before meeting Mr Swinney at Bute House, Sir Keir spoke at an event with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

He said he would govern as “changed Labour”.

Sir Keir described the general election victory as part one of his party’s plan, with part two coming when the next Holyrood election takes place in 2026.

The prime minister pledged to govern for everyone in Scotland, including those who did not vote for the party.

He said: “I asked people in Scotland, put their trust and faith in Labour. I said if they did so we would deliver for Scotland.”

Sir Keir added: “And that’s why I wanted to stand here today, to make good on that promise, to make good on that commitment at the first opportunity.”

Mr Sarwar also said the new UK government would “reset” devolution.

He told BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show: “We are always going to put the country first before our own political party.

“So we will work with anyone and everyone to deliver for the Scottish people. And that’s why Keir Starmer’s first visit outside of Downing Street is coming to Scotland.”

Mr Sarwar was asked if the new Labour government would introduce a separate Scottish immigration system to allow workers to come to the country, using a distinct tax code, to address workforce shortages north of the border.

He replied: “No. We have to have one UK Border Agency. Of course we need one immigration system.”

He added: “But if you have two governments willing to work together, you can find distinct solutions for Scotland.”

He cited the example of the Fresh Talent initiative, introduced by the Labour-led Scottish executive 20 years ago, to address a declining population.

The scheme encouraged overseas graduates from Scottish universities to stay on working in Scotland.

For Sir Keir, this is a whistlestop tour to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales before meeting English mayors on Tuesday.

The message is pretty obvious – to stress the “United” in Kingdom.

But the work isn’t over – the party now hopes to win control of the Scottish government from the SNP – in the 2026 Holyrood elections.

That means delivering the change Labour has promised Scottish voters as quickly as possible.

It will be a huge challenge when the party has pledged to stick to Conservative spending plans and some of its welfare polices.

The clock is already ticking.

In Westminster elections Scotland has now swung dramatically from Labour to the SNP and back again in less than a decade. That has led to some painful soul searching for supporters of Scottish independence.

But it’s also a reminder to Labour that voters can change their minds pretty quickly.

Bilawal rues PML-N govt’s ‘weak strategy’ on Budget 2024-25

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has once again criticised its key ally in the Centre, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), for what he said not taking his party’s input in the preparation of the Budget 2024-25.

“The opposition should be engaged in matters related to budget and economy. The government’s strategy regarding the budget was very weak,” said Bilawal addressing a press conference flanked by Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti at the CM House in Quetta on Friday.

“The overall economic situation in the country has attracted criticism from various quarters,” the PPP chief said adding that the allies of the ruling coalition would have been approached, had there been a consultation process in place.

Bilawal’s criticism comes after the tax-heavy budget cruised through the National Assembly following its endorsement by the ruling alliance, including the PPP. On June 30, President Asif Ali Zardari greenlighted the Finance Bill 2024, which went into effect on July 1, which marks the beginning of the next fiscal year.

The federal government presented the tax-loaded Rs18.877 trillion budget for fiscal year 2024-25 (FY25) two weeks ago, drawing sharp criticism from opposition parties, which termed it “economic terrorism” against the people.

“The PPP sticks to what it says. We are not forcing that all our recommendations should be accepted,” Bilawal said adding that the PPP-led government would bring everything to the lower and upper houses of parliament after creating consensus in its 2008-13 stint in power in the Centre.

Responding to a question on election rigging, he said that the PPP witnessed rigging in every election, adding that free and fair elections would benefit the PPP, eventually.

The PPP’s political rivals are destined to wail and whine whether they win the elections or lose them.

He also said that the party would send its representatives to the All Parties Conference (APC) being convened by the federal government to evolve consensus on the newly launched Operation Azm-e-Istehkam. The PPP will put forward its stance regarding the situation in Balochistan, said Bilawal.

The Balochistan CM has prioritised improving the law and order situation in the province, he said adding that his party will make efforts to engage all stakeholders and political forces.

Azm-e-Istehkam: Military dismisses ‘unwarranted criticism’ of new operation

The top military brass on Friday denounced the undue criticism against the newly launched anti-terrorism operation, Azm-e-Istehkam (Resolve for Stability), stating that the “vision” was being misrepresented deliberately for “vested interests”.

The statement came after the 265th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir in the chair, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

It said the forum undertook a comprehensive review of the internal and external security situation of the country and had a detailed discussion on various aspects of “Azm-e-Istehkam”.

The military’s media wing said the new operation is aimed at harnessing the national counter-terrorism efforts in a synchronised manner to dismantle the nexus of terrorism and illegal spectrum in the country for enduring stability and economic prosperity.

“Forum noted with concern the unwarranted criticism by some quarters and deliberate misrepresentation of the vision, only for furthering their vested interests,” said the ISPR.

“The forum affirmed that military leadership is cognisant of the full spectrum of the challenges and resolved to shoulder its constitutionally mandated responsibilities with the support of the resilient people of Pakistan,” it added.

The military vowed to combat “digital terrorism” conspirators abetted by foreign cohorts.

“Forum underscored that onslaught of politically motivated digital terrorism, unleashed by conspirators, duly abetted by their foreign cohorts against state institutions is meant to induce despondency in the nation and sow discord through peddling of blatant lies, fake news and propaganda,” the military’s media wing said.

It said that the armed forces and the nation are fully aware of all such machinations and stand united and committed to defeating the “notorious designs of the enemies”.

Moreover, the military top brass also deliberated upon the regional security situation, especially Afghanistan, and reaffirmed its commitment to regional peace and security.

They expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir and Palestine and condemned serious human rights violations, war crimes and genocide being perpetrated in Kashmir and Gaza.

The forum paid rich tribute to the supreme sacrifices of martyrs of the armed forces, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and the citizens of Pakistan who have laid their lives for peace and stability in the country.

It also renewed the resolve to continue full support of ongoing efforts in uplifting socioeconomic growth and wholeheartedly assisting the government in curbing all illegal activities that hamper investors’ confidence, economic stability and growth.

Expressing satisfaction with the army’s commitment to national security, COAS Gen Munir stressed upon maintaining high standards of professionalism and operational preparedness.

In his concluding remarks, the army chief stated that the Pakistan Army has always been fully prepared to thwart all internal and external challenges and play its due role in the stability and prosperity of the country, regardless of the challenges posed, the military’s media wing added.

Discharge of Indians serving in Russian army: Modi to raise matter with Putin

Several cases of Indians who were lured to Russia with the promise of lucrative jobs or education and ended up fighting against Ukraine have emerged over the last few months, and Indian police arrested four people in May linked to a human trafficking network behind the practice.

Four Indian nationals have been killed in the war so far, prompting Modi’s government to call for an immediate stop to such recruitment and quick release of Indians fighting in the army.

India estimates anywhere between 30 and 40 of its citizens could be already serving, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told a media briefing on Friday.

“All efforts have been made that Indian nationals return as soon as possible,” he said, adding that 10 Indians have already been brought back.

Thousands of people have died on both sides since Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb 2022 but India, which has enjoyed a close relationship with Moscow for decades, has refused to condemn Russia for the war, instead calling for an end to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

Other South Asian nations have also warned their citizens against being lured into joining the Russian army.

Nepal said in May that several of its citizens have illegally been recruited to join the Russian army, with at least 200 estimated to be serving at the front and about 100 missing.

Modi will visit Russia on July 8 and 9.

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