BEIRUT: Syrian insurgents freed 13 soldiers in return for the release of five rebels on Thursday, the first step of a deal over Harasta town in eastern Ghouta, a Hezbollah media unit said.
Around 1,500 Ahrar al-Sham fighters and 6,000 family members will evacuate the town on Thursday, said the military media unit run by Hezbollah, which fights alongside Syria's army.
The evacuation marks the first such negotiated withdrawal in eastern Ghouta near the capital, where the army and its allies have waged a fierce offensive since last month.
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Hezbollah: Hostage swap of Syrian soldiers, rebels launches Harasta deal
Hezbollah: Hostage swap of Syrian soldiers, rebels launches Harasta deal
Pakistan’s inflation sees lowest increase in nearly two years at 17.3% in April
- Pakistan has been beset by inflation above 20% since May 2022, registering a high of 38% in May 2023
- Month on month inflation was down 0.4%, showing negative growth for the first time since last year in June
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April rose 17.3% from a year earlier, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed on Thursday, the lowest reading in nearly two years and below the finance ministry’s projections for the month.
Pakistan has been beset by inflation above 20% since May 2022, registering a high of 38% in May 2023, as it has navigated reforms as part of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme.
Month on month inflation was down 0.4%, showing negative growth for the first time since June 2023.
The Finance Ministry in its monthly economic report said it expected inflation to hover between 18.5% and 19.5% in April and ease further in May to 17.5%-18.5%.
Pakistan’s central bank kept its key interest rate unchanged at 22% for the seventh straight policy meeting on Monday, hours before the IMF executive board approved $1.1 billion in funding under a $3 billion standby arrangement signed last year.
The bank’s monetary policy committee said in a statement it was “prudent” to continue with its monetary policy stance at this stage to bring inflation down to the target range.
‘Well aware of our constitutional limits,’ Pakistan’s army chief declares at PAF graduation parade
- General Asim Munir says Article 19 of Pakistan’s constitution sets limits on freedom of expression
- He says a strong air force is essential to prevent Pakistan from being at the mercy of aggressors
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir emphasized the armed forces’ awareness of their constitutional limits and expectations for legal compliance from others while addressing the graduation parade at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Academy in Risalpur on Thursday.
The military’s involvement in politics has been a contentious issue in Pakistan, with public criticism intensifying since the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
The country’s military has publicly denied intentions to interfere in political affairs more recently, asserting a commitment to uphold democracy and remain apolitical, amid growing public scrutiny over its past involvements in political matters.
“We are well aware of our constitutional limits and expect others to prioritize adherence to the constitution as well,” the army chief was quoted as saying by the military media wing, ISPR, in a statement.
He said in his address to the graduating cadets that Article 19 of the Pakistani constitution set limits on freedom of expression as well.
“Those who openly violate the clear restrictions on freedom of expression set by the constitution cannot point fingers at others,” he asserted.
General Munir noted specific technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing, were expanding the scope and transforming the use of air power.
However, he warned against an arms race in the region, saying it could disrupt the balance of power in and around South Asia.
The army chief pointed out that a strong air force was essential to prevent the country from being at the mercy of external aggressors.
“The recent war in Gaza is a fresh example of the miseries that wars can bring,” he said. “The indiscriminate killing of elderly, women and children in Gaza is proof that violence is increasing in the world.”
He also criticized India for its policies in the dispute Kashmir region, pointing out it would not be able to suppress the “voices of freedom” and promising continued Pakistani support on moral, political and diplomatic levels for those resisting New Delhi’s rule.
London mayor accuses MP of ‘Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred’
- Lee Anderson recorded claiming Sadiq Khan ‘hates this country ... our heritage, our culture’
- Anderson claims he received support from Cabinet ministers after saying Khan controlled by ‘Islamists’
LONDON: The “Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred” of Reform UK MP Lee Anderson is “fuelling hate crime and violent threats,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said in a statement.
His comments come after ITV News released a secret recording of Anderson talking to party members at an event in which he claimed Khan “hates this country ... our heritage, our culture.”
The news also follows revelations ahead of the London mayoral elections on Thursday that Conservative candidate Susan Hall has followed social media pages and groups in which other people allegedly posted racist content and abuse aimed at the Muslim mayor.
Anderson was previously deputy chair of the Conservatives, but switched parties after he was suspended by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for claiming that Khan was under the control of “Islamists” and had “given our capital city away to his mates.”
In the ITV recording, Anderson is heard saying former Conservative colleagues had offered him support and sympathy for his words, saying senior party officials had told him “you’re saying what millions of people are thinking up and down the country.”
While not naming anyone specifically, Anderson said: “At least two Cabinet ministers contacted me to say I’d been treated poorly.”
He added: “I would never betray the confidence of my colleagues, regardless of what political party they’re in, that was sent in confidence. A lot of those people who I sit opposite are still my friends.”
Khan said: “In the past 24 hours we have seen my Tory (Conservative) mayoral opponent endorsing Facebook groups rife with antisemitism, Islamophobia and death threats against me. And now we have a former Tory party deputy chair caught on camera being racist.
“It is deeply depressing that he confirms his Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred was cheered on by current Tory party staff, MPs and Cabinet ministers.”
Khan added: “It’s unpatriotic to talk down modern, diverse, brilliant Britain in this way. And it has real-world consequences, fuelling hate crime and violent threats.”
ACWA Power signs $1.51bn senior debt financing agreement for Qassim 1 Power Plant
RIYADH: Saudi utility firm ACWA Power has signed a senior debt financing agreement for the Qassim 1 Combined Cycle Power Plant for SR5.69 billion ($1.51 billion).
The deal, signed through Qudra One for Electricity Co., will extend for 28 years, according to ACWA Power’s statement to Tadawul.
International and local commercial lenders, including Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of China, and Riyad Bank, as well as Saudi National Bank, Alinma Bank, Saudi Investment Bank, and Saudi Awwal Bank, financed the senior debt.
UAE FM discusses Gaza with Israel’s opposition leader
- Sheikh Abdullah stressed the need to restart talks on the two-state solution in Palestine
ABU DHABI: The UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan held discussions on developments in Gaza with Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid in Abu Dhabi recently, Emirates News Agency reported on Thursday.
During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah stressed the need to restart talks on the two-state solution in Palestine, which he said would ensure permanent regional peace and security.
He called for additional efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which would prevent the conflict spreading to the rest of the region.
Sheikh Abdullah added that it was important for aid to reach Gaza, and that the lives of civilians should be protected.
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