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04 NEWS POlITICAl PrISOnerS BABA JAn, IFTIkhAr kArBAlAI releASed AFTer 9 yeArS

ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

FOLLOWING the completion of the election process in GilgitBaltistan (GB), the government released political prisoners Baba Jan and Iftikhar Hussain Karbalai from Ghahkuch jail of the autonomous region on Friday.

Sources told Pakistan Today that an agreement was reached between government and protesters in Hunza a month ago forthereleaseofthepoliticalprisoners,but the condition was that they would be freed afterthecompletionoftheelectionprocess.

Both prisoners spent nine years behind bars, before being released on Friday evening in the presence of many wellwishers and supporters. According to sources, 11 wrongly convicted prisoners had been released ahead of the election.

Iftikhar Karbalai is a senior leader of the Karakoram National Movement, a regional political party.

Baba Jan, a political activist from Hunza, is a member of theAwamiWorkers Party. He is currently a member of the party ’s federal committee. He, along with Iftikhar Karbalai and 13 other prisoners, was serving life imprisonment in Damas jail in district Ghizer after they were convicted by an anti-terrorism court over riots that erupted in 2011.

Baba Jan was convicted by the court for participating in a demonstration against the killing of a man and his son by the police onAugust 11, 2011 atAliabad, Hunza.

When a deadly landslide submerged several villages in Attabad in early 2010, Baba Jan was trying to bring to attention the consequences of climate change and resource exploitation.

In 2011, after months of cold response to the disaster, the activist organised a movement to demand long delayed compensation for those affected by the disaster.

On August 12, 2011, at a demonstration during the visit of then-chief minister to Attabad Lake, the police opened fire at the protesting internally displaced persons (IDPs), killing a father, Sherullah Baig, and his sonAfzal.The news sparked angry protests throughout the region.

The activist was not even present during the incident, but he was targeted because of his past activities. A month later, he and several other activists were arrested and booked under the anti-terrorist act, and thrown behind bars, where they were tortured and denied medical treatment.

Despite the victimisation, Baba Jan continued his political activities in the prison, uniting prisoners to demand humane living conditions in jail.

The activist, who is the former vice president of the Awami Workers PartyPakistan, and the founding chairman of the Progressive Youth Front, was granted bail in 2013, upon which he resumed his activism, and successfully campaigned for wheat subsidy to be restored for the region in 2014.

However, his bail was withdrawn, and he was handed life imprisonment along with 13 others. In 2015, he contested the election from his prison cell.Without funds and physically restrained by the prison boundaries, he nonetheless managed to gain the second-highest number of votes in the polls. When the seat became vacant once again the same year, the activist was not allowed to contest the election.

Punjab set to start anti-polio drive from Monday

LAHORE TLTP

The Punjab government has completed preparations for launching a five-day anti-polio vaccination drive commencing from November 30 (Monday) to December 4.Atotal of 48,000 teams have been constituted and their training sessions were also concluded following the upcoming anti-polio vaccination drive for administering polio drops to more than 20 million children.According to the Polio Eradication Programme, the concerned authorities have completed the supply of polio vaccines in all districts besides provision of face masks and sanitizers to the polio workers to prevent them from contracting coronavirus. More than 4,900 teams have been constituted to take part in the campaign in the provincial capital Lahore to administer polio drops to more than 1.8 million children. More than 2,000 polio teams were constituted for Multan for 0.9 million children and 2,900 teams for 0.9 million children in Rawalpindi.According to the statistics, the total count of poliovirus stands at 14 in Punjab province, whereas, this year’s toll reaches up to 81 across the country.

Sikh pilgrims arrive for Baba Guru Nanak’s 551st birth anniversary

LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

Sikh pilgrims have started coming to Pakistan through the Wagah border to participate in the celebrations of 551st birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of 10 Sikh Gurus.

Aspokesperson for the Evacuee trust Property Board (ETPB) told PakistanToday that a group of 602 members of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) led by Amarjeet Sindh arrived in Pakistan through Wagah border on Friday. The spokesperson added that Additional Secretary Shrines Tariq Wazir Khan, members of the SGPC and other board officials received the pilgrims upon arrival. Staff member of Indian High Commission, R B Sohran, and Santosh Kumar also reached Wagah border from Islamabad for welcoming the pilgrims.

The Sikh pilgrims also brought a Palki for Guru Garanth Sahib from India, which they will place in the Gurdwara. Speaking to Pakistan Today, the additional secretary said that as per the directions of the ETPB chairman, transports has been specifically disinfected for the convenience of the pilgrims.

The official expressed satisfaction at the security and accommodation arrangements for the pilgrims. He said that Gurudwaras have been beautifully decorated by the board administration and the main event of Baba Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary, which will be held on November 30, will be attended by political, religious and minority leaders, after which the visiting pilgrims will return to India on December 1.

When asked about the implementation of coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs), Khan said that the representatives of the provincial health department screened all passengers for Covid-19 symptoms and checked the test reports they were carrying. “We will fully implement Covid-19 SOPs, ” he added.

Three dIe AS FIre eruPTS FACTOry In OrAngI

KARACHI:At least three people burnt to death after a factory in Karachi’s Orangi neighbourhood caught fire on Friday.According to police, the blaze broke out at the factory located in Orangi No 4. On getting information, a police team and fire brigade vehicles arrived at the scene and began the operation to douse the raging flames. The fire was later doused. Three fire tenders took part in the firefighting operation. The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained. The people who died in the blaze were identified asAkram, Shahid and Ismail. On June 8, five people were killed in a factory fire in Faisalabad. The oil factory inferno was brought under control after five hours of toil, five charred dead bodies of factory workers were pulled from the burning establishment by rescue workers. The factory was housing almost 100,000 litres of oil which caught fire. TLTP

Investors turning to Punjab due to beneficial policies: Aslam

FAISALABAD: Welcoming the establishment of a smartphone manufacturing plant in Faisalabad, Punjab Minister for Industries MianAslam Iqbal has said that local and foreign investors are turning towards the province due to the beneficial policies of the provincial government. Aslam said this while witnessing the agreement signing ceremony of setting up a smart phone manufacturing plant in M-3 Industrial Estate Faisalabad on Friday. VIVO Vice President Duam Tai Ping and Director Manufacturing Zhang Bin signed the agreement in the FIEDMC office with an initial investment of $10 million. FIEDMC CEOAamer Saleemi was also present on the occasion.Aslam said that complete protection is being provided to the investors and facilities are being ensured on priority basis. Increase in employment opportunities through promotion of trade and investment opportunities is the policy of government, he added. Speaking on the occasion, the Chinese representative said that a conducive environment is provided for investment in Punjab and the company will invest more. He further said that $10 million is an initial investment only. STAFF REPORT

Pakistan keen to expand military cooperation with Tajikistan: CJCSC

RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Nadeem Raza has said that Pakistan is keen to expand its existing bilateral military to military cooperation with Tajikistan. The CJCSC, who is on an official visit to Tajikistan, said this during his meetings with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and other senior officials. During the meetings, both the sides deliberated upon various areas of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation including security, counter terrorism and prevailing regional environment particularly with reference to Afghanistan. They also dilated upon measures to enhance the level and scope of military engagements between the two countries and reaffirmed to continue to forge deeper ties. The Tajik dignitaries lauded professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in fight against terrorism.

Opposition acting irresponsibly amid Covid-19: Faraz

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz has said that the opposition parties are continuously acting with irresponsibility despite the second severe wave of the Covid-19. In a tweet on Friday, the information minister said that the opposition should stop playing with the lives of people. He said that the people are rejecting the public gatherings of the opposition. It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is planning to hold a massive power show in Multan on November 30 and former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani on November 12 had claimed that it would be the largest political rally in the region.

ISLAMABAD: Jinnah Avenue at sunset. INP

PML-N trying to create impression of political victimisation: Firdous

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Attacking the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N), Special Assistant to Punjab CM on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday said that the party is trying to create a wrong impression of political victimisation by the government.

Addressing a press conference in the provincial capital, Dr Firdous said that those who are chanting hollow slogans had emptied the national exchequer in the past and such corrupt elements cannot hoodwink the nation any more as their incompetency and corrupt faces have been exposed to the public.

She said that the alliance of opposition parties is only to safeguard their personal interests and looted money, and they have nothing to do with people’s problems. “The nefarious narrative of the opposition has been rejected by the people. The lust for power has blinded the opposition, ” she alleged.

The CM’s aide said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will fulfil its promise of strengthening the institutions and Prime Minister Imran Khan is moving forward with the mission to hold the supremacy of law. She said that the PTI government is making every possible effort to end the hereditary politics and the day is not far away when the people of Pakistan will be free from political slavery.

She also said that the opposition should refrain from putting the lives of people at stake just for their political interests. The opposition rallies could lead to the spread of coronavirus at a large scale in the country, she added.

Responding to a question, she said that the government will ensure the supremacy of law and violation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) will not be tolerated under any circumstances. She further said that the people have rejected the PDM’s narrative at the Peshawar procession and all the opponents are blaming one another for the failure.

PRESiDEnt Alvi PROPOSES 'tRADE tRiAnglE' BEtwEEn PAkiStAn, ChinA & ASEAn

iSLamaBad TLTP

PRESIDENT Dr Arif Alvi has proposed establishing a trade triangle between Pakistan, China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to maximise the quantum of intra-regional business opportunities.

In his virtual address to the 17th China-ASEAN Expo held in China's Nanning city on Friday, the president said that Pakistan's stable macroeconomic policies and ease of doing business offered an attractive market to both China and theASEAN countries for trade cooperation in diverse areas.

He maintained that despite the challenge of coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan's economy strengthened and its online businesses grew due to implementation of far-reaching economic reforms.

“We encourage theASEAN countries and the Chinese businessmen to invest in special economic zones as Pakistan's macroeconomic policies have changed tremendously with an improved state of ease of doing business. " On exports to ASEAN and China, he said textiles, food produce (meat and vegetables), surgical goods, minerals and information technology could be prospective areas.

Earlier in August, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan would continue to deepen and further strengthenpolitical,economicandcultural tieswithASEANanditsmemberstatesin line with its 'Vision EastAsia' policy.

In his message on the 53rd ASEAN Day, the foreign minister had said, “Pakistan enjoys close, friendly ties with all ASEAN members and its historic and deep-rooted relations pre-date the modem era, harkening back to abiding linkages forged during the time of the Gandhara Civilization. ”

Qureshi had also commended the ASEAN states for handling the Covid-19 pandemic and called for enhanced cooperationandcollaborationamongthemember states for betterment of humanity.

FBR launches singlepage income tax return form for SMEs

iSLamaBad STAFF REPORT

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), in collaboration with the Pakistan Revenue Automation Ltd (PRAL), has launched a singlepage simplified income tax return form for small & medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) having turnover up to Rs50 million. In a statement on Friday, the FBR said that the facility can also be availed by individuals and associations of persons (AOPs). "This return is available on Iris portal and requires input of basic data relating to business activities conducted by eligible taxpayers during the period relevant to tax year 2020. " The FBR said that in line with the vision of the prime minister and special assistant to the PM on revenue, the board has taken significant initiatives to facilitate taxpayers by making compliance easier. Likewise, the FBR has upgraded its Iris system with the help of PRAL for issuing SMS and emails whenever any notice is issued or any assignment is created by a tax officer, the statement added. Previously, taxpayers would know about such notices/intimations only after logging onto Iris portal. With the objective of improving compliance with a facilitative environment, after Iris upgrade, taxpayers and intermediaries will receive notifications of such communications through SMS and e-mails, making compliance easier and smarter. "The FBR has launched a system, Maloomat-TaxRay, wherein taxpayers can access all information available with the FBR by logging through a secure mechanism. For further facilitation, this feature has been launched in mobile app, TaxAssan, so that taxpayers can easily access all such information, " the statement read. "FBR believes in high levels of tax facilitation and constantly using innovative technology to create a faceless organisation. "

Plastic import up 3.3pc in four months FY21

ISLAMABAD: The import of plastic material witnessed an increase of 13.32 per cent during the first four months (July-Oct) of the current financial year (FY21) as compared to the corresponding period of last year.According to details, Pakistan imported plastic worth $701.579 million in JulyOct FY21 as compared to the imports of $619.097 million in July-Oct FY20, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Friday. Meanwhile, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, plastic imports increased 18.70pc, from $153.913 million in October 2019 to $182.686 million in October 2020. However, on a monthly basis (MoM), imports declined by 3.03pc in October 2020 when compared to the imports of $188.400m in September 2020. APP

Pakistan, Germany sign €18.5m accords for health, climate change projects

Pakistan and Germany on Friday signed three grant-in-aid agreements with a cumulative value of €18.5 million.

The Pakistani side was represented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs while German Development Bank-KfW represented the government of Germany. Under these agreements, Germany will provide support for women health facilities, polioeradication,alongwithservices towards mitigation of energy issues.

The agreements were signed by Economic Affairs Secretary Noor Ahmed and German Development Bank-KfWPakistan Director Sebastian Jacobi.

Under the 'women employment in private health' component, KfW will provide a grant of €12 million exclusively for the establishment of women health clinics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to promote self-employment of women in the health sector, besides training of qualified women to run clinics.

Meanwhile, KfW will provide an additional grant of €5 million to augment the existing support for polio eradication. This will help Pakistan to finance polio vaccines and meet the costs for implementation of Pakistan’s National Polio EmergencyAction Plan.

Under the climate change/energy component, a grant of €1.5 million will be given to Pakistan to implement accompanying services for the Harpo Hydropower Project in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

These accompanying measures will be carried out at the project site in support of the main Harpo Hydropower Project to ensure project sustainability. The accompanying services shall comprise assistance to strengthen the power utility i.e. the Gilgit-Baltistan Power Department aswellasaccompanyinginvestments in the social infrastructure including relevant consulting measures.

Historically, Pakistan and Germany have enjoyed warm friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1951. Earlier this year, Germany through KfWsigned agreements with the government of Pakistan to provide €27 million for Gharo substation in Sindh and €6 million for the Regional Infrastructure Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. NEWS DESK

PMvisitsEhsaasKafalatpaymentsitetoinitiatepaymentfor7mbeneficiaries

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Other significant improvements to safeguard transparent flow of Kafaalat funds include retailers’trainings, complaints’ resolution mechanism, real time reporting of transactions and dashboards have been created for alerts and for information sharing about how and where the money was being disbursed.

Dr Sania herself attended trainings of retailers last week to learn about their perspective first-hand.

In Pakistan, most of the digitally and financially excluded segments were destitute women. Ehsaas Kafaalat ensured financial and digital inclusion of deserving women across the country, the prime minister was told.

Changing lives of millions of women, ‘Ehsaas One Woman OneAccount Initiative’ will help the marginalized people plan for everything from long-term goals to unexpected emergencies.

NewS 05 Over 2,000 coronavirus patients in critical condition during lethal second wave

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On a provincial scale, the highest positivity rate is in Sindh, at 13.25 per cent, and then Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) at 10.79 per cent. Meanwhile, with a positivity rate under 4 per cent, Punjab is the lowest in the country. Meanwhile, KP’s positivity rate is 9.25 per cent while Balochistan has 6.41 per cent. Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) have a positivity rate of 5.84 per cent and 4.81per cent respectively. “Continuous monitoring and anticipation of likely pattern/disease prevalence is most important as only this will help us [come up with the] required response for [stopping the spread of] Covid, ” said NCOC Chairperson Asad Umar during the meeting, which was attended by provincial chief secretaries via video-link.

PM asks PDM to cancel its rallies amid deadly second wave of Covid-19

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“Let me make it clear again: regardless of how many gatherings they hold, I will not give them any NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance], ” vowed the prime minister. He reiterated the resolve to ensure that Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SoPs) are observed at any cost. According to a source in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed strongly criticised the opposition alliance and fully agreed with the proposal not to hold a meeting. However, the source added, some party leaders said that the government should not provide the opposition any excuse to blame the government as the PDM shows were failing as people were not coming to these meetings. The railways minister also briefed the participants on updated position of ML-I – a multi-billion-dollar project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood briefed the spokespersons on the communication and the government’s stance on PDM public meetings. The source said that PM Imran termed the second wave of coronavirus as extremely dangerous and urged everyone should play their role to help defeat coronavirus. He said that the opposition used to talk of observing lockdown in across country but now it was unfortunate to note that the same opposition was putting the lives of the people in jeopardy by holding rallies in an epidemic situation. Minister for Commerce Hamad Azhar briefed the party spokespersons of the steps taken by the government for timely crushing of sugarcane to help control sugar prices. He said that in addition to the fact that timely payments have been made to sugarcane farmers, the credit for crushing and payment to sugarcane farmers goes to the prime minister. Azhar added that the government had imposed a fine of Rs5 million on those who delayed the payment of farmers. The federal minister also said that the country ’s economy is moving forward in a splendid manner, more good news will be received in this regard. PTI TO FOLLOW QUAID-E-AZAM’S POLICY ON ISRAEL: The premier told the meeting that Pakistan is following the policy of Quaid-e-Azam MohammadAli Jinnah regarding the issue of Israel. He said that Pakistan is not recognising Israel and it is unthinkable to recognise Israel until the Palestinians get their rights. NO BAN ON UAE’S VISAS’ISSUANCE FOR LABOURERS: SpecialAssistant to the Prime Minister Zulfi Bukhari also gave the meeting a briefing on his contacts with the authorities of the UnitedArab Emirates about issuance of visas to Pakistani labourers. He said that there is no ban on issuance of labour visa for Pakistani labourers. He told the meeting that he had spoken to the Emirati authorities, and they denied reports of any such restrictions.

Sensor Tower to open third Asia office in Japan

KaracHi BABAR KHAN JAVED

AfterlaunchingitsfirstAsiaofficewithChina in Q2FY17 and its second Asia office with South Korea in Q2FY18, Sensor Tower is on track to launch a Japan office by Q1FY21.

The competitive insights solution for the mobile market economy is targeting, what GroupM considers to be, the world’s third-largest media market and third-largest e-commerce market. Representatives from Sensor Tower did not respond to a request for comment.

Speaking to Profit, headhunters said that they had been tasked to find a country manager for the intelligence business as well as line up candidates for roles in customer service and success management. The company is open to customising its offering for the Japan market and has readied its data science and engineering teams to tackle complex sales opportunities. WHYJAPAN?By2002,Japanhadafullmobilee-commerceecosystemandwasoneofthe firstmarketstodevelopinthisway.Aforecast byMagnasuggestedthattheJapanadvertising andmediamarketwouldshrink14.2pcinlight of the pandemic and grow by 11.1pc in 2021. AccordingtotheInternationalMonetaryFund (IMF), the GDP of Japan would fall 5.8pc in 2020 and rise 2.4pc in 2021.

According to the Store Intelligence Data Digest by SensorTower itself, from Q1FY20 to Q3FY20, Japan has ranked in the top ten charts for overall app install rates for three consecutive quarters – 8.5pc quarter-overquarter – as well as placing third after the US and China on theAppleApp Store rankings, growing 8.6pc year over year.

The top apps in the country according to the Q1FY20 data were classified as books, entertainment, business, games, and news.

Within just 30 days of the 200th confirmed case of Covid-19, Sensor Tower saw mobile game downloads in Japan spike 32pc to 82 million downloads.

During the same period, game revenue grew by 8pc to $1.3 billion, beating China and South Korea. When the Nippon Professional Baseball resumed its season in Japan by Q2FY20, downloads in the sports category grew by nearly 60pc, beating Great Britain, Germany, Spain, and the US. TEETHING ISSUES: Where there is growth, ad fraud follows not far behind: data from Adjust shows that fake users and bots dominated as the most prevalent fraud type, accounting for 60.72pc of fraudulent activity in Japan. Click injections, click spam, and SDK spoofing comprised 2.73pc, 22.48pc, and 14.07pc of fraud distribution in Japan.A studybySpiderLabsfoundthatadfraudscost Japan advertisers $38.5m in 1st half of 2020.

Fraud rates for the gaming vertical have spiked 214.86pc between August 2019 and 2020 in the APAC region. SDK spoofing, which is the creation of legitimate-looking installs with data of real devices without the presence of any actual installs, was noted as the most prevalent form of ad fraud in the SEAregion, accounting for 39.1pc of fraudulent activity. SDK spoofing, which is the creation of legitimate-looking installs with data of real devices without the presence of any actual installs, was noted as the most prevalentformofadfraudintheSEAregion, accounting for 39.1pc of fraudulent activity.

It is clear from the data of Sensor Tower itselfthatJapanisamarketworthapproaching with mobile app intelligence services, with clear indications of a high growth market that is in need of strategic competitive analysis, appstoreoptimisation,appbenchmarking,and generating leads through store intelligence.

06 COMMENT Karachi Transformation Plan

There is need to consult all stakeholders

tHe Karachi transformation Plan, worth rs 1.1 trillion, was initially announced when Prime Minister Imran Khan visited the rain-affected city in September. Mr Khan has now given a go ahead to implement the plan in a meeting where COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was present along with several federal ministers. the only information provided by the government so far is that the plan comprises more than 100 projects for Karachi that include 6000 apartments. the PM has also put on hold any anti-encroachment operation without provision of alternative housing facilities to the squatters. further, as demanded by the construction lobby, the PM warned against delay in giving utility connections to new housing schemes.

Karachi faces several major challenges that cause suffering to the common man and discourage investors. to start with, the city faces a shortage of potable water with the result that the citizens are left at the mercy of the container mafia. the mega city faces power shortages that sometime continue for days. K-electric acts like an albatross around Karachi’s neck. the issue of garbage remains unresolved. the abysmal shortage of trees in the big city multiplies the effects of the summer heat. the rainy season leads to the flooding of the city ’s roads while low lying localities are over flooded, losing contact with the rest of the city. the issues are interconnected which makes them very complicated. they require an understanding between the three stakeholders: the federal government which is providing the funds, the provincial government which has already announced its own KtP and claims to have made some progress in its implementation and last but not the least the representatives of Karachi citizens, including architects, city planners, doctors, lawyers and members of the business community.

More transparency is needed to avoid finger-pointing. A plan made by a few bureaucrats or technocrats in accordance with the desires of the government to provide mileage to PtI MNAs, could lead to lopsided development leaving the crucial issues faced by the Karachi citizens mostly unresolved. there is a need to have some sort of an apex committee representing the three stakeholders to advise and oversee the execution of the plan.

Anti-rape law

Failure to address real issues

tHe Cabinet committee on legislative cases approved the Anti-rape (investigation and trial) Ordinance 2020, but the legislation left those issues unaddressed which may defeat the purpose of the law. there was insufficient clarity on how chemical castration, introduced as a punishment for the first time in Pakistan, was supposed to work. Law Minister farogh Naseem, who chaired the committee, told the press conference afterwards that the punishment was to be given in place of the punishments under the Pakistan Penal Code, and would be administered only with the consent of the accused. that presumes a confession, but is it to be a form of imprisonment, or a form of parole? Chemical castration is administered to convicts in europe in lieu of imprisonment. the new law contains loopholes that defense lawyers may exploit. the first is the requirement for testing. there has been no mention of whether the facilities for medico-legal examination exist everywhere, If a rape is reported in a remote rural area, will the chain of custody of evidence be sufficiently well maintained to resist the defence? the restriction on cross-examination of victims may win kudos, for it seems that defence lawyers take pains to humiliate the victims by innuendo and calumny, but whether the superior judiciary will take a similar view will only be seen afterwards. It must be remembered that such cross-examinations are allowed by the superior judiciary in the interest of allowing the accused a comprehensive defence. the new law may not last that long, unless enacted. As an ordinance, once it lapses, it cannot be promulgated again. However, unless the police itself is reformed, it merely provides opportunities for policemen to make money. Already, the police handles rape cases in a fashion which ensures that while victims do not get justice, the accused are mulcted for large sums. Now that it has been made a capital offence, rape will join those cases, like murder, where the accused pay the most for the police to muff the investigation. Let alone even token gestures at police reform, the government goes on patronizing victim-shaming officers.

DedicatedtothelegacyofthelateHameedNizami Arif Nizami Editor

Will US really withdraw from Afghanistan?

The Biden Administration might make changes

Raja FuRqan ahmed

After the 9/11 attacks, the USA has been fighting the longest war ever in its history in Afghanistan to eliminate the threat from its soil, but the USA and its allies have not been successful in defeating their enemies. the Bush Administration declared the War on terror after the 9/11 attacks of Al-Qaeda in te USA. Later on, the war changed dimension due to the political changes.

President Bush started the War on terror and during his two terms, he was more focused on an offensive strategy. In his tenure, he also opened new fronts such as the Iraq invasion which affected theAfghan war. Kabul’s policies, as well as its political decisions, were made in Washington. Later on, the ObamaAdministration emphasized the military used, but he also provides the gateway to the taliban for opening the office in Doha, Qatar. there were more than 100,000 US troops present in Afghanistan during that time.

On 18 June 2013 taliban opened their first ever office and announced its willingness to open peace talks with US officials. It took more than two years for negotiations over the opening of the office, but it was also the Obama Administration’s success that the taliban, who were initially not ready for talks, came and sat in the office for the negotiations. After trump came into power, the war shifted from the military perspective to the table talks and negotiations. recently, the Political reshuffle in the USAhas raised many questions about the future US policy towards the global issues, by Joe Biden who defeated incumbent President Donald trump in the 2020 US presidential election. It was predicted that the military establishment will favour Biden because trump's policies did not support the USA as they wanted. During the election campaign, nearly 800 former high-ranking military and security officials also wrote an open letter in support of Democratic candidate. trump also adopted a dismissive attitude towards US allies, particularly the european Union, and thus NAtO, on which he imposed extra tariffs. He cut deals with nations and organizations that benefited the USA, like the regional Comprehensive economic Partnership, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Paris Agreement. He also opened a new conflict with China. Despite that, China built its economic, diplomatic and military power, while the USAbecame bogged down in endless wars and suffered an economic crisis. But the one thing trump understood was that the solution for any issue was through negotiation, dialogue and talks. He decided to pull the USA out of the Afghan war.

In US politics mainly two institutions are prominent and rival to each other; the State Department, responsible for carrying out foreign policy, and the Defence Department, focusing on the matters of defence.

In the trump era, the State Department played a vital role in the Afghan conflict. the 20-years of war which started with weapons now looks to end with negotiations. earlier this year, the USA and the taliban signed an agreement in Doha aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan. Under the agreement, all US forces would be withdrawn by May 2021, but, in theory, only if the taliban fulfil certain conditions which seem to have not been met yet.

Despite that deal, the Afghan politicians raise their genuine concern about not having been taken into confidence. they also put some hurdles for delaying the release of prisoners. Several times, the talks between the Kabul government and taliban were suspended. Later on, In September the long delayed Intra-Afghan talks started in Doha, but the process was slowed down to set the terms and conditions before the formal talks begin. Currently, the terms and conditions have been set between both parties and at the end of November, the official talks will start, according to sources. the US President tweeted in October that all 4500 US troops in Afghanistan would be home by Christmas, which shows that trump wants complete withdrawal before year-end but later on, US military officials claimed there was no actual plan to withdraw troops by Christmas.

After trump lost the 2020 election, the policy also shifted from complete to half withdrawal. trump is pushing to accelerate withdrawals from Afghanistan as well as Iraq and Somalia by the time he leaves office. As top military and national security aides were against that decision, trump eventually agreed to the smaller drawdown. On the other side, the taliban appreciated trump’s decision.

Due to the sudden policy shift and speed-up, NAtO as also raised serious concerns that the price for leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way could be very high. Afghanistan risks becoming once again a platform for international terrorists to plan and organise attacks on NAtO homelands, worry alliance members.

It is expected that the Pentagon will reverse the decision and send more troops or military support, especially airpower, when Biden officially takes charge. Many US experts believe that conditions on ground are not suitable for a troop reduction, as the balance of power may shift in favour of the taliban.

Biden in a recent interview said that he would maintain a troop presence in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has pressure from the military establishment to put troops on Afghan soil. He will try to be tougher on the taliban, such as by threatening to delay a US troop withdrawal until violence reduces. A reduced US military presence in Afghanistan will also put Biden in a tough position. the trump decision is to withdraw half the troops, so now it is expected the remaining 2000 will stay for a long time.

As a concern, the only person suffering is the ordinary Afghan. But will the USA really withdraw troops from Afghanistan? the simple answer is "NO" . first, because this war is not looking to be ending because of a lack of seriousness by both the taliban and the Kabul government. Secondly, the upcoming US government policy will likely to shift as the peace process pace is moving so slowly, so eventually the USA will extend the time frame. Due to the instability inside Afghanistan and the political crises between the multi-ethnic groups so, success in the peace deal needs all parties should stay on the same page which is difficult, looking at Afghan history.

The writer can raja1122@gmail.com Twitter. be or reached at furqan@furqanraja1122 on

Thirst for Justice wh ula by rece ere th rly M the I nt brutal developments in India by Modi ere is no rights for minorities and particuslims are the target to victimize cruelty ndian government and narrow minded Hindu. Our Muslim brother are feeling insecure

Election results must be accepted there, how l give ucky n w u e s a a re moment that we to are pa bl y es gra sed titude with f th re a e t dom and everything we like but we are not being akhtaR aly kuReshy fro the m day on country, e it to h cre app a e te ne a d atmosphere in election to 20 de 13 stabilize by PtI, v p a e lued nden t t he Paki countr st y. an an We d a its lwa be ys nefit und s e of rmi an ne i d nde ou r followed by 2018 by all parties, and now in Gilgit country and remained busy to distort its integrity Baltistan. Although this vi- and solidarity.

Avibrant nation which came into existence cious infection was also When we talk about on the rational basis and was the first seen in the USA by Presi- politic of sub-continent, state in the whole world with its religion dent trump who ultimately how we can forget blessbased on the foundation of equal justice accepted his defeat, though ings names of Allama peaceful whi and ch pr is osp a er model ous lif p e, rin as ciple push of ed livin back g t a oi t nd ry ire fr ctly, om to an s y ave po h li i t s co ical unor It is inevitable to have an Iqba tion l and Qaui f d ather o -e-Aza f m the to napay wards a society which has almost no justice or de- legal crises. agreement or Charter of tribute whose vision and layed prime justice, minister rather wo is r ki ep lling eated ju ly stic clai e, mi an ng d to whose estab- tio I n t t will be an o promote idea real l situa demo - understanding in all major strugg un-ma l t e c obl hed ige gift us of for Go this d in l l ish aw an ref ideal orms, stat and e of Madin is called to a li bu ve t i ha n a s f no ool agenda ’s parad of ise cratic v nationa a l lu c es on and sens de us velo on p a a ll political parties so that any the shape fulfilled t o h f e P ir akistan. the responsivit y y which It everyt money is obv hing in can’t iousl its p buy. y amazi lace and n i g s t that e pro justic tector e o puts f all, national evitable ment i t o ss o r ues, so it is have an agr Charter in ee o f h pol arm iti o c r al di tur stu moil rb th d e oes eco not nomy and handover paradise to u more powerf th s ul is to , beautiful make it comfortt t h o erefor carry e o j u ustice is t, rather t more honor han engagin able g in an oth d er super nonp ior rou p n o derst litica a l nding partie i s n s a o ll th m at ajor any and others’ system of ab its le h and abita pr nts o . sper land for ducti tion, ve as pro we ject are s l which acking gen shar er p a a ted cco m un ore tabi c li or ty rupand p h ol ar iti m cal or turm distu oil rb t d h o e es ec not onrunning the state. Similarly in to As un a Musl derstan im d it is that eas n y o of course a comprehensive judicial system. every omy and others’ system of order to strengthen our peaceful country can be run new d tional ay lif i e ncre and as w e e s problem have no s s o and lutio crises n exce in pt ou to r k naeep ru in nning order the to sta str te. Simil engthen arly our political system, our withou system t a wh powerfu ich creat l e justice opporignoring backlogs i . t or keeing it pending, only to enhance political sys mentarians tem sh , our ould parliahave parliamentarians should have t l uni ive ties ha for ppil e y ve w ry ith bod out y d to is-

At the moment, a sever deadlock is prevailing fixed the priorities of the fixed the priorities of the turbing or infringing the in o CD ur in cou his ntry visi as on our whi Pr ch im is e h M op inister elessly has o alwa n y ly on s On e , state politi w c hich a fray, re ab and ove not the to state which are above the rights o ing fear f o of ther God pers and on fol hav low say has ing no “No visib N le rO” , soluti an on d on to th the ese other alarm hand ing an that PM d bloodb o la n c e k v m er ai y l is the sue. government politic fray, and not to ing of the Pro Qura phet an (P and buh) S . unnah the sucking the life dream o na of f a tional issues whic a common man, state of Madina. h c have onfli made cting ho wit rr h ibl th e e Ap tion o opposi parentl f gove tion is y the posirnment and very critical blackmail e the govern very issue ment on only thirst of change our sy are based on justic stem fake e may which tradi-

Although the concept of Madina is more fasci- and bitter as some of the tions and practice. Where nating and may be a fabulous revolution if PM burning issues have to be ever you go if there is a Imran Khan turns his focus towards one and only taken up by the govern- comprehensive and instant point which is sufficient to achieve this goal: law ment by using its friendly system of justice is availreforms and justice where the state is the custodian diplomacy and where able that place will be a of every child and nobody has courage to take away some issues create problems then the Supreme peaceful and prosper country apart from this fact the rights of a woman or elderly person or indeed Court should come to rescue the government and whether it is a Muslim country of Madina or some anyone else, and one who disobeys the law or hu- public. As we observed, the orders of the other place who stolen our traditions and principals miliates the women or commits any other immoral- Supreme Court come as blessings and no other of Quraan to establish this place. ity has no chance to go scot free. way to defy. So in the construction of national

A new complexion of political dishonesty and fabric of politic or constitutional issues our Writer is an Advocate Supreme Court, Law Procheating which is making heavy roots in our coun- Supreme Court is the custodian of all fundamen- fessor, member of International Bar Association try that is very dangerous is, not to accept the result tal rights to safeguard the public from any turbu- and former Assistant Attorney General for Pakof election if you or your party lost the election. lence. istan.

Patriotism unchallenged

Misusing a grand idea for petty ends of a society velopment. ” which has come Wemustremove to the end of its dethefettersofthought thatprovokeustodeclareeachotherasunpatriotic. the number of people, who have now across Intheframingofforeignpolicy,bewarenottocondecades, self-assumed the position to issue “Cer- sider that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. tificates of Patriotism” and more regrettably, also I recall Voltaire’s words, “It is lamentable that to “Certificates of traitorship” . None of them had be a good patriot one must become enemy of the any locus standi; they never met the test of law; rest of the mankind. ” Nay, it shouldn’t be so. those taken to courts were disposed with muted Patriotism is not a hollow slogan of frenzied opinion. (even Mujeeb-ur-rehman, was eventu- emotion but is about love for your country. Sloally released following the Agartala case─ later ganeering is in fact a lackadaisical reflection of he was branded, father of a Nation). Such is his- patriotism; we see this played out at all the “Jaltory of humankind. sas” .OurcountryiswherelibertydwellswithjusInthemurkyworldofPakistanipolitics,allop- tice─ let this be the slogan. Building bridges ponents are labeled without a thought or whimper across differences is the duty of a common paas “traitors” , “sell-outs” , “agents of the enemy ” , " triot, for the common good of all citizens. agentprovocateurs, "andsoon.thepoliticallead- the traditional confusion about patriotism in ership laden with enormous quantum of political ourcountryrelatesunfortunatelytoandalsoquite immaturity, across the board, subscribes to the conversely to the real thought, is that, it is about view that anybody, who is not with them or their loyaltytothegovernment,andlesstothecountry. ideology, is an enemy of the State.there has been the coin has landed on the wrong premise of gross misunderstanding at Islamabad that patriot- thinking. We need to toss it once, with both sides ismisabout“loyaltytotheGovernmentinpower” . inscribed with “Patriotism is loyalty to the counsiRajuddin aziz this is such a fallacious and suicidal approach; it try ” . Mark twain had aptly said, “Patriotism is doesn’t even merit serious thought or considera- supporting your country all the time, and your tion. Our political pygmies most likely imagine government,whenitdeserves” .Itfollows,loyalty

PAtrIOtISM is a concept open to de- themselves to be as great as Napoleon Bonaparte, to a government is dependent, on whether it “debate. It is determined by the standpoint and compare them- serves” or not; while to of which side of the fence is acceptable selves to ,him where he thecountry,itis“ uncontotheenvironmentonelivesin.Atbest, is believed to have re- ditional” . If the governany attempt to define it in exactitude marked, “I am the ment is impotent, would actually be of views, ranging pastiche or a motley collection from nationalism to the love of state”; meant loyalty loyaltyto to him, france. Being in contradiction to the inco and mpetent, incapable, cor no rupt deyourcountry;albeit,conceptually,patriotismand nationalismaredistinct;theycanbecomplementary,butarenotsynonymous.Intheestimationof cer are Patriots need no tification, they all so, by pure conduct governmen anyone as t a d t oes not raitor. D render issent mands can be upon the comp for loyalty─ this placed atriots, denial thisscribe,patriotismistheloveofacountry.But to do so, one has to necessarily love one’s own countrymen/women, even if we have disagreeand character. non-saleable. principles are they are their non-ne- de is pa mocr rt at and ic di par spe cel nsa of tio a n. It cannot lack of are reg be construed as patriotism, as we rettably made to ments with them. to use Napoleon’s love thee (country) with all thy faults” . Patriotism is beyond waving the word flag, s, it “I is gotiable. th priceless. Because ey remain averythin is a lac nd k d of isli h k a e tred, that bit bri tern ngs es to s believe,bypoliticiansof all shades of hue and colour. Being in contraabout the spirit to be righteous. Patriotism is a respectable and venerable word, only if it is judiciously and duly practiced. All distinctions and linelies nition fighter betweenrecogas a freedom and being a pa fore trioti the sm; t i rue n fa qua ct d li e ty of fending diction ment d anyone to the governoes not render as a traitor. Disdivisionarisingoutoflinguisticpreference,color, creed, sect, sub-sect, caste, and so on, have to be permanentlyburiedforanysemblanceofpatriotrebel, it is patriotism idealistic wondered, if isjustalofty thought and g yo ov ur count ernment ry (p from olitic the ians) sent is part and parcel of a democratic dispensation. It is lack of hatred, ismtoemerge.Internaldivisioncanneverleadus to patriotism, which demands the reflection of a hence an YasirArafat illusion is a case ? in is Patriotism bitterness that brings and to f dis ore like the harmonious and cohesive society. If the country point. History tells us true quality of patriotisgoodtohim,whyshouldn’tanycitizenbegood how individuals were ism; in fact defending to his country. each citizen owes a debt to the transformed on its your country from the countrythatgiveshimorheranidentity,animage pages from being traitors to being founders. the government (politicians) is Patriotism. Patriotic andmostsignificantly,respect.ProudtobeaPak- outcome of an event determines the status. Of behavior requires continuous and sustained sacistani should be a common and unifying slogan critical value is a recognition that “the supreme rifice, it must not be made to look ‘ virtue of the of the entire populace. functionality of statesmanship(for lack of any vicious’ .

Patriotismisnottobeusedasasmokescreen Statesman in our midst, we can here lower our- Bill Vaughan says, “A real patriot is the felfor any hidden agenda to harm the country. this selvestojustpoliticians)istoprovideagainstpre- lowwhogetsaparkingticketandrejoicesthatthe veinofthoughtisbestdescribedinSamuelJohn- ventable evils” . systemworks. ”trythathere!Justobservethebeson's words, “Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels” .Ifthemotivetodemonstratepatriotismisignoble,thenitiswithoutdoubtoutsidethe ambit of acceptability. Are all citizens patriots? Do we need to evidence existence of patriotic feelings?everybodyisapatriot,asagiventhing, to be demed otherwise requires evidence. the freedom to declare and accuse anybody unpatriotic must not exist in any society. Irrefutable evidence alone will determine if anyone is not a patriot. those individuals who are willing to All men are born equal. All intrinsically are patriotic. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but the contentoftheircharacter” ,thusspokein1963,the revered Martin Luther King, Jr. Lincoln’s efforts about 150 years ago, have recently been irreparably damaged by the floyd incident.Are coloured people less patriotic? they must remain entitled to the basic rights of a patriot, hence justice. Apatriotic leader reconciles the past with the havior of the elite where for being a violator of thetrafficrules,theyarestoppedbytheconstable; thepoorconstableendsupapologizingforhaving daredtheunthinkable─stoppinga“Patrioticelite Citizen” . Our traffic lights are moved from auto tomanual,sothatthe“Celebratedpatriots”donot have to, God forbid, stop at red lights. this attitude is a “red light” for the social pundits to ponder, in which direction are we heading. All my countrymen/women,asperthelastcensus(thereis “sell” the “interest “ of their country for a dime, presentfortranscendingintothefuture.Meresendeliberateavoidancetostatethefigure,duetolack must be the ones who should be legally pursued, timentsmakenoin-roadintotheannalsofhistory, of faith in the veracity of the number), are all “pafor declaring these as anti-state. only action does make history. Alexander Solzetriots” . No less, no more.

Sinceourbirthasanindependentnationstate, henitsyn, the rebel(?) from te USSr wrote, “the there has been no reduction, but only growth, in debilitating dream of a status quo is the symptom The writer is a freelance columnist.

Editor’s mail

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan today exclusively Empowering Women to make Pakistan a true welfare state

eCONOMIC productivity of a country could be enhanced manifold by empowering the penniless women folk and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) was doing exactly the same to help becoming resource less women self sustaining as promised in the manifesto of Pakistan tehreek-e-Insaf (PtI). According to the World Bank’s 2012 World Development report: Gender equality and Development, closing these gender gaps matters for development and policy making. PBM was running 156 Women empowerment Centres (WeCs) to impart vocational training among deserving women. PBM has spent rs 638 million on imparting technical training among 30,000 women in 2019-20. the women trainees were being paid rs 30 daily allowance on attendance basis. the trainees having workable business plan of rs 25,000 to rs 100,000 would be provided personal loans in collaboration with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation fund. the loan will be returnable in the time span of 18 months first six months as grace period. As many as 13,322 trainees are currently getting training from these schools whereas some 135,220 trainees have been passed out. WeCs plans to impart technical training among 62400 deserving women in the next four years. Currently, the WeCs are imparting 16 different trades including drafting, cutting, sewing, designing, interior decoration, beautician, cooking, tie and dye, glass painting, computer and current Microsoft office applications to deserving women. A total of 33 senior citizens were residing in Great Home for Senior Citizens in Lahore. PBM has established Child Support Program (CSP) in five districts. A total of 28,462 children were benefitting from the CSP program. the objectives of establishing these schools was to wean away children from the hazardous child labour environment, impart primary education and bring poor children into mainstream of social milieu. the enrolled children were being provided rs 10 as daily stipend while parents receive rs 300 per month as subsistence allowance. It is PBM initiative to pull out the children from bonded labor and imparting them education, in line with the UN & other International Organizations conventions. 159 SrCL,s are functional all over the country. the children involved in child labor are enrolled in these schools are imparted free education upto primary level. they are provided free books, stationery, uniform / shoes and rs.10/- daily stipend / parents subsistence allowance of rs.300/- per month and rs.4100/ year as passed out incentive. Out of 159 SrCL, 46 are in Punjab, 20 are in South Punjab, 37 are in Sindh, 24 are in KPK, 14 are in Baluchistan, 13 are in ICt/AJK and 5 are in G.B. 18519 children were enrolled in these schools in f.Y.19-20. till now 38059 students have been passed out. 712 millions were utilized during f.Y.19-20. A total of 5,683 scholarships and 18,519 education stipends had been given to deserving students during financial year 2019-20. Some 21,618 deserving persons had been provided medical assistance in last fiscal year. Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal is offering scholarships to deserving students admitted in any Government College or University. PBM has planned to establish Great Homes for senior citizens in many cities. Great Homes will provide basic necessities of life in a dignified manner and in a family like environment including boarding, lodging, food, clothing, medical case and recreation. PBM also providing grant in aid to registered non government organisation (NGOs). PBM has established facilitation Centres at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and radiotherapy Institute (NOrI) to promptly complete medical assistance case of the deserving. Some other facilitation Centres would soon be established at provincial headquarters and at divisional levels to facilitate the beneficiaries.In the third phase, the facilitation centres will be established at district level. the facilitation Centres have already been working at PBM head office and it regional offices to provide speedy, hassle free medical services to the beneficiaries visiting the office and stream lining the process of providing medical assistance. PBM was contributing in poverty reduction through various Individual financial Assistance (IfA) programmes including general financial assistance, education stipend, individual rehabilitation programmes, etc. Likewise, PBM is planning to establish 15 more Women empowerment Centres (WeCs) by June 2021. SyEd ZAhId MAJEEd LAhorE Schools closure

After the meeting of provincial and federal education ministers on the recent wave of Covid-19 and its effects on educational institutions, there are great issues facing the students of Kech. federal education Minister, Shafqat Mehmood announced that from 26th of November till 25th of December, all educational institutions across the country will remain closed, but the education will be ongoing through online system. to bring the issue in noticed, most of the areas in Balochistan don't have internet facilities, how do the students continue their education? I am a resident of turbat city, 4G network was cut before 5 years and still we suffer due to internet, but now I guess we must suffer more and go backward. Here turbat is ruining with PtCL connections which most of the time deceive, sometimes internet leaves working, if works then extra slowly that can't open a google page, how can it run an online system? It is my humble request to the federal education Minister, Shafqat Mehmood and concerned authorities to look towards the internet connectivity of Kech and then go for online education system, we are as well part of the country, aren't we? AdnAn MAqSood TurBAT Health of teachers

DUrING the second wave of corona, schools have been closed but faults, confusions and dangers have been created specially by KPministry of education. the decision of gathering a crowd of the entire teaching staff ranging from 22 to 70 persons in the school for a single class everyday is unwise rather beyond understanding . either virus did not infect teacher' s health /life or they are taking teacher's life for granted ; in a society where no SOPs are observed . It will be better to call only those 5-8 teachers per day who teach the specific class to minimize the hazard of spreading the virus. AnonyMouS PEShAWAr

08 WORLDVIEW It Is tIme to decoLonIse tHe WorLd BAnk And tHe ImF

al Jazeera JAson Hickel

mOSt people assume that inequality between the global South and the global North (the United States, Western europe, Japan, Canada and Australia) has been declining over the past few decades. After all, colonialism is behind us, and surely poorer countries are gradually “catching up” to richer ones. But, oddly enough, exactly the opposite has happened. the per capita income gap between the South and the North has quadrupled in size since 1960, in what can only be described as a striking pattern of divergence. this trend is due in large part to power imbalances in the world economy. to put it simply, rich countries have disproportionate influence when it comes to setting the rules of international trade and finance – and they tend to do it in ways that serve their own scroll Asim siddiqui

If there is one word that has been used in a most creative fashion to spread prejudices and hate against Muslims in India, it is the word “jihad” .Over the past few years, Hindutva groups have accused Muslims of waging “land jihad” to take over property, “organ jihad” to transplant nonHindu body parts into Hindu bodies, “corona jihad” to spread the virus and “UPSC jihad” to fill the ranks of the civil services with Muslims.

Driving these conspiracy theories is the fear of Islamic expansionism. But the situation on the ground belies these delusions. Most Indian Muslims live in a state of socio-economic and political marginalisation. But despite this, Indian Muslims have faith in Indian democracy and the Constitution.there has not been any widespread unrest in the community leading to calls for “jihad” against another religious community or the Indian state.

Ironically, the word “jihad” in India is used most frequently by Hindutva groups. for instance, the “love jihad” conspiracy delusion was frequently used by the Sri ram Sene group in Karnakata to claim that Muslim men were conspiring to marry Hindu women as a ploy to get them to convert to Islam.

It’s clear that the time has come to reclaim the concept from the Hindutava hate jihadis and spread love in a positive way. CONFLATING INDIAN MUSLIMS WITH GLOBAL ISLAM the first problem evident in the use of the term “jihad” is that it gets con-

THESE INSTITUTIONS WERE DESIGNED WITH COLONIAL PRINCIPLES IN MIND, AND THEY REMAIN LARGELY COLONIAL IN CHARACTER TO THIS DAY

economic interests, quite often at the expense of everyone else.

Nowhere is this problem more apparent than when it comes to the distribution of power in the World Bank and the International Monetary fund (IMf), two of the key institutions that govern global economic policy. We might expect that representation in these institutions would be modelled along the lines of the United Nations General Assembly, or perhaps calculated according to population. But in reality, they are deeply undemocratic. the problem starts at the top. the leaders of the World Bank and the IMf are not elected, but are nominated by the US and europe. According to an unspoken agreement, the president of the World Bank has always been from the US, while the president of the IMf has always been european.

Moreover, voting power in these institutions is skewed heavily in favour of rich countries. the US has de facto veto power over all significant decisions, and together with the rest of the G7 and the european Union controls well over half of the vote in both agencies. Middle- and low-income countries, which together constitute 85 percent of the world’s population, have a minority share. flated with Muslim societies all across the world. Like with any other global religious group, there is a great deal of internal diversity between Muslim societies. Painting all of them with a single brush overlooks these differences. for instance, an article in Swarajya in September compared how ISIS uses Yazidi girls as sex slaves in contemporary times to how Muslim invaders in the medieval times in India committed violence on Hindus in the guise of showing “infidels” their place.

In the Print, the writer AshwinSanghi reiterated this argument, justifying a sense of Hindu victimhood that emerges from the violence done by Muslims invaders and rulers. He hypothesised that the problem lay in what he claimed was the fundamental contradiction of “Abrahamic” and “Dharmic” thought – the former, he believes, is expansionist while the latter is pluralist. the problem with such a simplistic binary, of citing examples from different times and spaces of only Muslims rulers and armies, is that it completely misses the everyday life of common Muslims who have no means, resources or the desire to be expansionist (apart from the very few exceptions, 100 in 172 million, who go and join organisations like the ISIS). they have meagre resources to even get by, and live in close association with different religious communities. they don’t think in terms of infidels and expansion. they follow very localised religious practices that bear no relation to the ideas of extremist groups or medieval rulers.

If these common people are falling in love with someone who happens to be from a different religion or caste, it isn’t because they have a supremacist agenda. they are just falling in love.

Of course, in a casteist society like ours, they are transcending boundaries of endogamy, offending dominant societal norms. Hence, couples who transcend such boundaries are pressured to split with the threat of violence and “honour killings” . But if they manage to persist,

Ifwelookatthevotingallocations inper capita terms, the inequalities are revealed to be truly extreme. for every vote that the average person in the global North has, the average person in the global South has only one-eighth of a vote (and the average South Asian has only one-20th of a vote).

Not only is there minority control over global economic policymaking, there is also a clear racial imbalance at play: on average, the votes of people of colour are worth only a fraction of their counterparts. If this was the case in any particular country, we would be outraged. We would call it apartheid. Yet a form of apartheid operates right at the heart of international economic governance today, and has come to be accepted as “normal” .

In some cases, the differences between countries are particularly striking. take Bangladesh and Nigeria, both of which were British colonies. In the IMf, a British person’s vote today is worth 41 times more than a Bangladeshi’s vote, and 23 times more than a Nigerian’s vote.And this is the 21st century; many decades after the end of colonial rule. the inequalities that characterise voting power in the World Bank and the IMf have their roots in the colonial period. After all, these institutions were founded in 1944. Countries that were colonies at the time (like India) were integrated into the system on unequal terms, subordinated to their colonisers. Other colonies were not allowed to join until after independence, in some cases well into the 1970s and 80s. these institutions were designed under colonialism and they remain in key respects colonial in character.

Voting power in the World Bank is allocated according to each country ’s financial taking the bold decision to challenge the

shares. In the IMf, it is primarily according to gross domestic product (GDP), with some consideration also given to a country ’s “market openness” .As a result, the countries that became rich during the colonial period now enjoy disproportionate power when it comes to determining the rules of the global economy. Inequality begets inequality.

Defenders of this system argue that this is a legitimate approach: it makes sense, they say, that bigger economies should have more power over decisions related to the global economy.

But think of the implications of this claim. In any national political system, we would reject the notion that rich people should have more voting power than poor people, and more influence over economic policy decisions. We would see this as corrupt and morally repulsive. And yet such plutocracy is normalised in the World Bank and the IMf. these imbalances in voting power help explain why the World Bank and the IMf have been able to impose neoliberal structural adjustment programmes across the global South over the past 40 years. these programmes – focused on privatisation, austerity, and forced market liberalisation –have created lucrative profit opportunities for multinational companies, but have had a devastating effect on the South: during the 1980s and 90s, they caused incomes to decline and poverty to rise, and in some cases triggered decades of recession and stagnation. to this day they continue to have a negative impact on health outcomes, including infant and maternal mortality. Such ruinous policies would never be acceptable under democratic principles. there have long been calls by civil society and political leaders in the global South to democratise the World Bank and the IMf. At minimum, critics have argued that the leaders of these institutions should be elected in a transparent process.And they have called for a “double majority ” system such that significant decisions should require not only shareholder majorities but also member-state majorities. this would ensure that global South countries have a fairer say in the decisions that affect them, and power to block harmful policies. for decades, these demands have fallen on deaf ears. But this year they received a boost from the UN Secretary-General AntónioGuterres, who, while giving a lecture for the Nelson Mandela foundation, called for democratic reform of voting power at the World Bank and the IMf. this represents an historic opening, and campaigners should seize it. If we want to have a shot at a fairer global economy, we need to start by decolonising the institutions of economic governance.

Dr Jason Hickel is an academic at the University of London and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His most recent book is "The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global InPenguin in May 2017.

It’s time to reclaim love from the Hindutva hate

ANY LAW THAT COMES IN THE WAY OF SPREADING LOVE BETWEEN COMMUNITIES IS ACTUALLY ENCOURAGING AN ANTI-NATIONAL AND SEPARATIST SPIRIT

there is the pressure of conversion and assimilation of one into the other.

It bears repetition that no one should be forced to convert for love. It is also worth noting that the root cause for this coercion is not an expansionist agenda but an exclusionary one. All religions have certain exclusionary logic built in them to control kinship relationships. for instance, Islamic law does not allow interfaith marriages beyond Christians and Jews.

It is, of course, essential to reject this exclusionary logic and the need for instrumental conversion, whether that emerges from the logic of caste exclusion, or from patriarchal interpretations of religious laws in Islam. RECLAIMING LOVE JIHAD

Love jihad, as it is being articulated in the new bills in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and other states, gives a sense that most trans-religious marriages lead to forced conversions and therefore must be banned. However, anti-conversion laws already exist in eight Indian states.

In that case, what is the purpose of these new proposed laws? As it has been argued by many feminists, it is primarily a way to control young women’s (and men’s) choices and decisions about whom they love and form relationships with. this is merely a new addition to the range of moral policing tactics that are done on women’s bodies and choices to subjugate their agency and stop the mixing of communities.

Just like anti-conversion laws are meant to undermine Article 25 of the Indian Constitution that guarantees religious freedom, “love jihad” laws are intended to restrict freedom of choice in matters of love and marriage to ensure that segregation between communities persists. thus, reclaiming love jihad will mean two things – one is to critique the need for instrumental conversion in trans-religion marriages, and at the same time support young people who are equality and its Solutions, " published by

exclusionary norms of society and are loving beyond community lines.

Both these tasks require us to challenge the logic of segregation between various caste and religious communities in India. Any law that comes in the way of spreading love between communities is actually an encouraging anti-national and separatist spirit.

As important leaders of India’s freedom movement recognised, we can only be a real democracy when we are able to challenge all the segregations in our society and live in fraternity. Br Ambedkar called this process “social endosmosis” , which implied that India’s diverse social groups are so mixed that it isn’t easy to separate one from the other. Social endosmosis can occur only when we generate the social emotions of love and fraternity that transcend caste, religion, gender, sexuality, class, and language boundaries.

Similarly, Mohandas Gandhi too was convinced that only trans-caste marriages could address the segregations and exclusions in Indian society. He proclaimed in 1946 that only trans-caste marriages would be celebrated in his ashram, especially between savarnas and avarnas. When his own son Harilal converted to Islam, he did not oppose his conversion per se, but he questioned this son’s motive for doing so. According to Gandhi, Harilal had not converted for the right reasons.

In his letters with tolstoy, the main focus of their exchange was how its “only love that can rescue humanity from all ills” . that explains why we need more love jihadis/sangharshis in the country. the jihad/sangharsh that I am talking about does not have an expansionist or exclusionary agenda, as certain politicians and media houses would have us believe. Instead love jihad/sangharsh could be a struggle underpinned with a democratic agenda – to spread love beyond all chasms in our society that challenges exclusions and supremacy.

Love jihad bogey

Times of india

After Madhya Pradesh government’s announcement that it would table a bill to prosecute ‘love jihad’ , Uttar Pradesh has now passed the UP Prohibition of Unlawful religious Conversion ordinance making forced religious conversions –whose meaning will include conversion for marriage – punishable by tough jail term and fine. the UP ordinance mandates that those willingly wanting to convert for marriage need to inform the district magistrate two months in advance. the law will pose great difficulty for interfaith couples. Not only does it undermine personal liberty and free will, it also incentivises hooligans, who may take advantage of the advance notice to intimidate interfaith couples.

In a contemporaneous judgment, the Allahabad high court has correctly held that the right to choose a partner, irrespective of religion, is intrinsic to right to life and personal liberty protected byArticle 21 of the Constitution. Quashing an fIr against a man accused of forcefully converting and marrying a Hindu woman, the bench observed that to disregard the choice of an adult person would not only be antithetical to freedom of choice but also a threat to the concept of unity in diversity. Given the rash of ‘love jihad’laws coming up in states, the Supreme Court must also uphold this tenet of constitutional liberty. these draconian laws not only contradict BJP’s long stated view of ushering in a Uniform Civil Code, they also invert the principle of ‘minimum government, maximum governance’enunciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by giving the state a veto on personal matters. If these laws are pushed through, New Delhi must prepare for likely unflattering portrayals in international media comparing India to SouthAfrica under apartheid (which also put legal obstacles in the path of interethnic marriages among its citizens).Among other things it would be a blow to Indian diplomacy, which championed the anti-apartheid movement.

At a time when the country is facing multiple challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic and economic recession to the twin security threats posed by China and Pakistan, the people of this nation need to be united. Divisive and polarising ‘love jihad’laws undermine such unity and aid our adversaries. taken together, the BJP central leadership should tell its state governments to reverse course.Abetter path would be to simplify the provisions of the Special MarriageAct that allows interfaith couples to marry without converting.

MARKET DAILY

Stocks snap three-day rally to lose 223 points

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The three-day winning streak at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) came to an end on Friday, with the benchmark index succumbing to selling pressure amid range-bound activity. "The stock market opened on a negative note and maintained the bearish momentum during the first half of the session. However, buying activity in banking, refinery and technology sectors helped the index recover some ground post interval, " a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd read. "E&P and cement stocks observed selling pressure primarily due to concerns on slow cement despatches as well as staid crude prices. " The benchmark KSE-100 remained in the red for almost the entire session, registering its intraday low at 40,753.30 after losing 277.73 points. It closed lower by 223.94 points at 40,807.09. Among other delegation also termed the country surplus current

indices, the KMI-30 Index plunged 629.57 points to end at 65,731.71, while the KSE All Share Index dropped 76.69 points, settling at 28,719.60. The overall market volumes increased from 389.17 million shares in the previous session to 397.25 million shares (+2pc). Average traded value, however, declined by 18pc, from $100.5 million to $82.5 million. Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY +2.50pc), TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +6.56pc) and K-Electric Ltd (KEL +0.27pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 53.46 million, 45.96 million and 23.11 million shares, respectively. Sectors that dragged the benchmark index lower included oil & gas exploration (-78.69 points), cement (-50.28 points) and fertilizer (36.32 points). Among the companies, Pak Petroleum Ltd (PPL -31.53 points), Lucky Cement Ltd (LUCK 27.08 points) and Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDC -23.15 points) dented the index the most. Shedding 1.61pc from its cumulative market capitalization, the oil & gas exploration sector emerged as the market's weakest link, with OGDC (-1.61pc), Mari Petroleum Company Ltd (MARI -1.52pc), PPL (2.33pc) and Pakistan Oilfields Ltd (POL -1.40pc) closing in the negative.

No reduction in fares despite ban on in-flight meals

KARACHI ARIBA SHAHID

The Civil Aviation Authority has enforced a ban on serving meals in domestic flights in lieu of rising coronavirus cases in the country. The ban is in place for chartered and private flights. As per standard operating procedures, it is mandatory for the cabin crew and passengers to wear a face mask throughout the flight. Previously, before the ban came into effect, passengers would remove their masks during meal times. According to estimates, the cost of a meal averages around Rs200-300 per passenger. It is estimated that keeping all other factors constant, PIA would be able to save around Rs200,000 a day, Rs1.4 million in a week, or Rs6 million in a month. However, based on the actual cost of production, cost of flight kitchen set up, transportation of food, and other miscellaneous expenses. Only food production has stopped, rest are all intact considering how this is a temporary decision, ” said Abdullah Khan, spokesperson of the Pakistan International Airline, while speaking to Profit. “A reduction of Rs200 from the fare won’t be noticeable. ” He said it is unlikely that PIA or other airlines will bring down domestic airfares to accommodate the ban on in-flight meals. It is pertinent to note that a number of budget airlines around the world do not serve meals on board as a means to save costs. Khan said that PIA is mulling to serve prepackaged food on flights which most likely will include a wrapped cold sandwich, a juice and a small water bottle. Passengers are currently allowed to bring their own meals on domestic flights by all air carriers. Earlier in November, flights had been banned from serving hot beverages.

bUSiNeSS 09 ADB APPrOveS $300M lOAN fOr PAkiStAN’S MAcrOecONOMic StABility

tHEAsian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday approved a $300 million policy-based loan to help promote macroeconomic stability in Pakistan by facilitating improved trade competitiveness and export diversification. The loan agreement was signed by EconomicAffairs Division Secretary NoorAhmed andADB Country Director Xiaohong Yang. Minister for Economic Affairs Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar was also present on the occasion. "While Covid-19 hit Pakistan at a critical point in its macroeconomic recovery, the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure stability have started showing encouraging results this fiscal year, ” saidADB Principal Public Management Specialist Hiranya Mukhopadhyay. “ADB’s programme will support these efforts and help Pakistan improve its export competitiveness — now more important than ever given impact of the pandemic. ” ADB’s programme will help Pakistan recover its current account deficit in a sustained manner and continue to facilitate export diversification. It will introduce important tariff- and tax-related policy reforms to help improve Pakistan’s international competitiveness and further strengthen key institutions, including accreditation bodies, the Export-Import Bank of Pakistan, and the Pakistan Single Window. The new financing falls under Subprogramme-2 of the Trade and Competitiveness Programme. Under the first phase, ADB helped the government usher in key reforms, including reducing or abolishing tariffs and ad hoc duties on a large number of raw materials and intermediate goods. Several steps were also taken to introduce e-commerce, strengthen key institutions involved in facilitating trade, and enhance the export certification process. Sincefiscalyear2004,Pakistanhasregisteredariseand-fallpatternofexportgrowthreflectingunderperformance in its export industry and long-term decline in export competitiveness.This is compounded by lost export growth momentum from Covid-19, which has reducedhigh-incomecountries’demandformanufacturing goods and disrupted the supply of raw materials. ADB is coordinating its efforts with other development partners and donors while the program complements International Monetary Fund (IMF)-led reform initiatives by helping to improve competitiveness, which will help build robust foreign exchange reserves. NEWS DESK

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to boost trade ties

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan and SaudiArabia have agreed to further promote bilateral cooperation in diverse fields of economy, particularly in the energy sector. The understanding was reached during a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud on the sidelines of the 47th session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Niamey, Niger, according to a statement issued on Friday. The Saudi foreign minister said his country holds in high esteem its historical, deep and longlasting relations with Pakistan, and is committed to promoting bilateral cooperation in various fields. He appreciated the efforts made by Pakistan for establishing peace in the region. Foreign Minister Qursehi apprised his Saudi counterpart of the grave situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He also thanked the Saudi foreign minister for principled and permanent support to the Kashmir issue. Meanwhile, during his meeting with Afghan counterpart Mohammed Haneef Atmar in Niamey, Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan desires peace in Afghanistan besides dignified and honourable return of Afghan refugees to their homeland. He said that Pakistan will continue to play its conciliatory role for peace in the neighbouring country, adding that theAfghan leadership should remain cognisant of the elements that want to sabotage peace efforts inAfghanistan. Qureshi reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations withAfghanistan. The Afghan foreign minister commended Pakistan’s sincere efforts in the Afghan peace process. Moreover, in another meeting with Chadian counterpart Amine Abba-Sidick on Friday, Shah Mahmood Qureshi underscored the importance of deepening and expanding economic and commercial ties between the two countries. Both sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, regional developments and cooperation at multilateral fora.

HYDERABAD: A vendor prepares a bowl of chicken soup for his customer. INP

PM asks industrialists to help promote corporate farming

ISLAMABAD: Stressing the expansion of corporate farming, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday sought proposals from industrialists to modernise agriculture sector and enhance production of various crops. In a meeting with the country's leading industrialists and businessmen, the prime minister said national development and prosperity was linked with the development of the business community, facilitation of which was the responsibility of the government. He said the government had included the industrialists’proposals in policymaking, which have started producing positive results. The PM directed the authorities concerned to resolve export-related issues faced by the industrialists at the earliest. The delegation includedAzam Farooq (Cherat Cement), BashirAli Muhamamd (GulAhmed), MuhammadAli Taba (Lucky Cement), Saqib Shirazi (HondaAtlas), Fawad Mukhtar (Fatima Fertilizer),Arif Habib (Arif Habib Group Ltd) and Hussain Dawood (Engro Corporation). Industries & Production Minister Hammad Azhar and Advisers to PM Abdul Razak Dawood, Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Dr Ishrat Hussain were also present on the occasion. The delegation thanked the premier for patronizing trade activities in the country. They said the highest level of foreign exchange reserves reflected economic stability and expressed satisfaction over the availability of the government's economic team for guidance. The the PIA spokesman thinks otherwise. “Food cost is

account ‘a welcome sign for national economy ’ . They informed the PM that the demand of cement was highest in the country's history due to promotion of construction activities, which helped generate immense employment opportunities during the pandemic. APP

Omar Ayub assures domestic consumers of uninterrupted gas supply

PINDI BHATTIAN: Energy Minister OmarAyub Khan has said that the government will ensure uninterrupted gas supply to domestic consumers during the ongoing winter season. Talking to media in Pindi Bhattian after inaugurating various projects, the minister said that the country was facing shortage of gas due to the wrong policies of previous governments.About the current gas situation, he said that there would be gas shortage and pressure problems for one month between December and January, as hydropower generation would decline owing to annual canal closure for maintenance and resultant shift in power generation to local gas and regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG). "As a result, the overall gas shortfall could be around two billion cubic feet per day (bcfd), " he added. However, he said, domestic and export-oriented industrial sectors would face no disruption during winters. "The ministry will ensure prioritising residential and industrial demand during winter months without any load curtailment, " he added. TLTP

Urea offtake for 2020 likely

LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

The offtake of urea is likely to clock in at 5.8 million tonnes in 2020, mainly on the back of higher than expected urea offtake during the first 10 months of the year. Shankar Talreja, Deputy Head of Research at Topline Securities Limited, said, "We revisited our urea offtake for 2020, wherein we now expect urea offtake to clock in at 5.8 million tonnes, as compared to our earlier estimates of 5.5 million tonnes. " He added that previously, Topline had trimmed urea offtake on expectations of supply side disruptions amid Covid-19 outbreak and impact of locust attack. "Wearerevisingupourearningsforecasts for country ’s fertilisers by 5-61pc (excluding Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited) for 20202022onthebackofhigher-than-expectedurea offtakeduring10M2020,impactofGasInfrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) review petition and review of September detailed accounts, " Talreja maintained. He recalled that the Supreme Court (SC) had dismissed review petitions on GIDC. However, as per the verdict, all fertiliser companies can now pay their outstanding amounts in 48 equal monthly instalments instead of 24 monthly instalments earlier. The analyst highlighted that all compa-

to clock in at 5.8m tonnes

nieshavealreadyaccountedforGIDCintheir accounts, except for Engro Fertilizer Limited on its Enven Plant, for which the company has taken stay order from the Sindh High Court. “We have also not taken the impact of EFERT's Enven plant in our model, ” he said. FAujI FerTILISer CoMPANy The analyst forecasts a raise of 28pc in FFC earnings primarily due to an increase in urea offtake estimate by 8pc, from 2.3 million tonnes to 2.5 million. "We also revised our 2021-2022 earnings given that the Supreme Court has allowed GIDC payment over 48 monthly instalments instead of 24. " eNgro FerTILISerS LIMITeD Meanwhile, the research analyst revised up the earnings forecasts for EFERT by 861pc for 2020-2022 on the back revision in urea offtake estimate for 2020 from 1.7 million tonnes to 2 million tonnes, one-time tax reversal of Rs2,117 million (EPS impact Rs1.6) in 3Q2020 and incorporating the impact of GIDC review petition. eNgro CorPorATIoN The earnings of ENGRO are also expected to grow 5-28pc for 2020-2022. "Revision is attributed to an upward revision in earnings estimate for EFERT due to the above-mentioned reasons and increase in earnings estimate for Engro Polymer & Chemicals (EPCL) amid higher-than-expected PVC-Ethylene margins and betterthan-expected 9M2020 earnings. " FAujI FerTILISer BIN QASIM Lastly, Talreja revised upwards the earnings' forecast of FFBL for 2020, from a loss per share of Rs1.63 to an earning per share of Rs1.7. The turnaround is primarily on the back of higher than expected DAP offtake (+37pc YoY in 10M2020), higher than expectedmarginsonDAP,abovethanexpected dividend from FFBL power company and lower effective tax rate at 16pc, he added. "The forecast was also revised due to injectionofnewequityviarightsharesofRs5bn andincorporatingtheimpactofGIDCreview petition (savings of Rs0.23 per share). "

10 FOREIGNNEWS POlICE ASk TO CONvERT STADIUmS INTO PRISONS AS DElhI gRAPPlES wITh fARmERS’ PROTEST

NEW DELHI AGENCIES

SOME 5,000 farmers were allowed to enter New Delhi on Friday for a peaceful protest under police escort. Tensions remained high, with clashes between demonstrators and police continuing elsewhere in India.

Farmers across India are taking part in demonstrations against agricultural reforms. They fear that new rules of sale, storage and pricing — first introduced in September – will strip small growers of bargaining power and leave them at the mercy of big business.

The ‘Dilli Chalo’ (On to Delhi) march was meant to bring the protest to the capital, but it was met with barricades, tear gas and water cannon. Police say the mass demonstrations pose a serious health risk due to the Covid19 pandemic.

On Friday, the protesters scored a small victory after New Delhi police allowed some 5,000 of them to gather at Nirankari Ground, a large field in the northwest of the capital, a much larger number are reportedly still on their way, their progress stalled by barricades and security forces.

Earlier in the day, the police asked the New Delhi government to temporarily convert nine stadiums in the city into jails, where they could keep arrested activists.The petition was rejected.

Meanwhile clashes between farmers and police continue elsewhere in India. Protesters attempted to dismantle barriers at the Haryana-Delhi border and built a barricade at the Delhi-Bahadurgarh highway.

Water cannon and tear gas were also used at an interstate border with Punjab. The governments of the two states have opposing attitudes towards the march, despite both having large agricultural sectors.

Punjab’s Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh welcomed the decision to allow protesters into the capital, while taking a jab at the Haryana authorities.

His counterpart, Manohar Lal Khattar, earlier accused Singh of spreading “lies, deception and propaganda” to fuel the protest.

3 killed, 5 injured in bus fire in western India

NEW DELHI AGENCIES

At least three people were killed and five others injured on Friday as the passenger bus hit a low-lying highvoltage wire in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, police said. The bus immediately caught fire after coming in contact with the wire. The accident took place on the Jaipur-Delhi highway at the village of Achrol in Jaipur, the state's capital. "Three people were killed and five others were injured after a bus caught fire immediately following its contact with a low-lying high-voltage wire, " a police official said. In a separate development in the state's Singhani village in the Nagaur district, three people were killed as a car crashed into a concrete block as the driver was trying to avoid a stray cow on the road. Deadly road accidents are often seen in India, mostly due to overloading, the bad condition of roads, and reckless driving.

European firm withdraws from Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project in face of US sanctions

MOSCOW AGENCIES

The latest extension of punitive measures introduced by the White House against Russia’s natural gas pipeline to Germany has forced one of the sub-suppliers to quit the project. Det Norske Veritas – Germanischer (Lloyd 9DNV GL), whose business is tied to risk management and quality assurance, said that it had to stop working for on project under the threat of US sanctions. “The US State Department has published a new clarification regarding the Protecting Europe’s Energy SecurityAct (PEESA).According to the new guidelines, DNV GL’s further work on monitoring vessels and equipment engaged in the Nord Stream 2 project is seen as subject to sanctions, ” the Norwegian-German company said, stressing that it has stopped providing the services that may become subject to PEESA. The firm was responsible for monitoring and certifying the testing and preparation works for equipment that is used by vessels during the construction of the underwater pipeline. The company was also expected to grant a fire security certificate after the project is complete. Meanwhile, the last remaining stretch of Nord Stream 2 goes through the territorial waters of Denmark. In accordance with the regulations of the Danish EnergyAgency (DEA), Nord Stream 2AG, the Russian Gazprom subsidiary that operates the project, may engage any other company for monitoring and certifying works. The Russian pipeline has become a real point of contention for the White House.After numerous failed efforts to dissuade European companies from working on the project, the US finally included the enterprise into the act that is allegedly aimed at protecting Europe from Russian energy dependence.

US army data on civilian harm in war against ISIL questioned

ERBIL AGENCIES

Rights groups and charities have raised questions over the United States military coordinates of civilian harm in Iraq and Syria released last week by the United Kingdom-based watchdog,Airwars.

Inadata-sharingagreementhailed bythenon-profitasa“groundbreaking decisionbytheUS-ledCoalition” ,Airwarsmadepublicthegeographiccoordinates of 341 confirmed incidents of civilian harm and roughly 1,400 civilian deaths since the war against ISIL (ISIS) started six years ago.

During the campaign to retake the ISIL-occupied territories in Iraq and Syria, the battles for Mosul and Raqqa marked the height of destruction and civilian casualties.

Airwars estimated that more than 13,000 non-combatants were confirmed killed in the campaign due to the coalition’s actions since 2014. The coalitionputsthatnumberatjust1,410.

Once prominent commercial and cultural centres in the region, the two cities were razed to the ground by coalition air raids in the name of liberation.AccordingtotheUnitedNations, much of the old city of Mosul and 70 percent of Raqqa were destroyed.

The data provided by Airwars states that 70 of the 341 credible incidents have been pinpointed to an accuracy of one square metre (10.8 square feet), leaving little margin for error. The remaining 271, however, are accurate to within 100sq m (1,076sq ft).

“The coalition has the one metre squaredcoordinatesofalleventsithas deemed credible, though more recentlyhaschosentowithholdpublicly thatmoreprecisedata.Wedon’tknow why and it’s for OIR to explain their reasoning, ” said Airwars director Chris Woods. OIR refers to the Combined Joint Task Forces – Operation InherentResolve,as theUS-ledcoalition against ISIL is officially known.

In an air campaign that has been describedbytheBritishForeignOffice as “the most precise in history of warfare” , the withholding of more precise data has raised eyebrows. “Either the coalition doesn’t have the specific coordinates of the buildings it bombs, which would be very concerning, or they do have them and we presume they do, so why are they not providing them?” asked Amnesty International’s senior crisis adviser, Donatella Rovera. “It has to do with liability, with not wanting to take responsibility. ”

In populated areas such as Raqqa and Mosul, 100 metres (328 feet) “could be the distance between a legitimate military target and a school or an apartment building, ” said Iain Overton of the London-based explosive violence monitoring charity,Action onArmed Violence (AOAV).

While Amnesty ’s Rovera does not dismisstheAirwarsfindings,sheargues that “ unless the data is accurate, you won’tbeabletodomuchwithitatall” .

Saudi air strikes hit Houthi militia camps in Sanaa

SANAA AGENCIES

WarplanesoftheSaudi-ledcoalitionlaunchedmultipleair strikes on Houthi militia-held military camps in the mountains of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Friday morning.

Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported 14 coalition air strikesonSanaatargetingthewarfacultyandmilitarycamps in the mountains of Hafa,Attan,Ayban, Sama and Jarban.

Meanwhile, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television also reported that the coalition launched multiple air strikes on Houthi militia military sites in Sanaa.

The air strikes came after a Houthi ballistic missile on Monday hit SaudiAramco petroleum products distribution terminal in Saudi Arabian Red Sea port city of Jeddah, causing fire in a fuel tank.

The Monday missile attack on Saudi oil facility was the latest in a series of cross-border drone and missile attacks by the Houthi militia in Yemen. Most of the Houthi attacks had been intercepted by the Saudi-led coalition.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa. The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemen conflict in 2015 to support Hadi's government.

EU call for sanctions on Cyprus ‘disconnected from reality’ : Turkey

ANKARA AGENCIES

Ankara has denounced a resolution by the EU Parliament lawmakers for sanctions against Turkey over Cyprus after President Erdogan’s recent visit to the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state and the reopening of an abandoned town. “We completely reject the non-binding resolution… on our country and the TRNC, ” Foreign Ministry spokesman HamiAksoy said in a statement on Friday, referring to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The European Parliament MPs urged EU leaders on Thursday to “take action and impose tough sanctions” against Turkey, calling Ankara’s gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean “illegal. ” Turkey rejects the charge.Ankara backs dialogue, but Turkey will continue to protect both its own rights and those of the Turkish Cypriots,Aksoy said, slamming the European Parliament resolution. “This decision… once again demonstrates how disconnected from reality and prejudiced the EPis on the Cyprus issue. ” The TRNC presidency also said the resolution “ignored the existence of the Turkish Cypriots, ” while also “ unjustly accusing Turkey. ” On November 15, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state, including Varosha, a beach town that has been abandoned in no-man’s land since Cyprus split in 1974. Northern Cyprus recently reopened part of the fenced-off town, allowing public access. Erdogan said that “a two-state solution must be negotiated on the basis of sovereign equality, ” of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The European MPs’resolution came after Paris, which is at odds withAnkara on several issues, including what Turkey calls “persecution of Muslims” in France, also called for sanctions on Ankara at an EU summit next month. No detailed sanctions have yet been drawn up, but French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a French parliamentary hearing this week that “Turkey knows what it needs to do. ” The minister warned: “Confrontation or collaboration, it’s up to them. ”Ankara is at loggerheads with Greece and Cyprus over hydrocarbon exploration in disputed east Mediterranean waters, and France supports the two EU member states’claims.

Russia-China trade turnover to exceed $100bn by year-end: CODA

BEIJING AGENCIES

Bilateral trade between China and Russia has undoubtedly been affected by the Covid pandemic but is expected to surpass $100 billion by the end of the year, according to the China Overseas DevelopmentAssociation (CODA). Its secretary general, He Zhenwei, told RIANovosti that "although the epidemic is currently affecting cooperation, trade between the two countries will show significant growth, particularly in the second half of the year. ” Domestic demand in China is continuously increasing and Russia is boosting exports to the country, he said. He also noted that Russia produces environmentally friendly non-GMO products. Trade between the two countries has been growing, and in 2019 Moscow and Beijing said they had eliminated all barriers that could impede their fast-developing cooperation. The two sides also announced the ambitious goal of doubling the volume of trade to $200 billion by 2024. China’s new ambassador to Russia, Zhang Hanhui, said that Beijing considers Moscow a trusted partner and is opening its markets more and more to Russian goods. The diplomat added that while Beijing was embroiled in an escalating trade war with Washington and was cutting imports from the US, especially agricultural products, it needed new suppliers, and sees Russia as a good replacement. “We will choose a new supplier.And Russia is the most reliable one, ” said Zhang.

Emerging markets see 'strongest pace' of capital flows on vaccine development: IIF

WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Emerging markets are witnessing the “strongest pace” of capital flows on positive news related to the Covid-19 vaccine development, according to the latest report from the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

“We see positive news on Covid-19 vaccines as the modern-day equivalent of the 2009 China stimulus, allowing the world to return to the status quo before the virus... delivering a powerful boost to global demand, ” the IIF said, adding, they "are recording the strongest pace of nonresident portfolio flows to EM (Emerging Markets) in many years. ”

Factoring in robust offshore bond issuance, the fourth quarter is the strongest quarter since the first quarter of 2012 on capital flows to the emerging markets, it added.

Global pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have achieved major breakthroughs in developing a vaccine for the treatment of coronavirus in recent weeks. Vaccine candidates being tested by Pfizer and Moderna have shown more than 90 per cent efficacy.

Earlier this year, at the height of Covid19 outbreak, the Washington-based institute recorded large capital outflows from the Emerging Markets and in the months that followed, the recovery in non-resident portfolio flows was tepid. However, recent developments on vaccine development triggered the interest of investors towards emerging economies’assets.

“The exodus of capital from emerging markets is now firmly in the rearview mirror and robust inflows look set to continue. ”

The IIF also said flows to emerging markets outside of China are at their strongest pace since the second quarter of 2014.

The coronavirus pandemic has tipped the global economy into its worst recession since the 1930s. The International Monetary Fund expects global output to shrink 4.4 percent this year and recover only modestly in 2021.

Bahrain GP: Hamilton heads Mercedes 1-2 ahead of Perez and Sainz in FP1

AGENCIES

Newly-crowned world champion Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in first practice at the Bahrain International Circuit, ahead of his Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas –while Sergio Perez was third quickest for Racing Point. Pirelli’s prototype tyres for the 2021 season were available for the teams to run in the session, and will be run for a minimum of six laps by all drivers in FP2 this evening in Bahrain. Hamilton topped the timesheets early on as the circuit was covered in a light dusting of sand, before he switched to Pirelli prototypes and then improved on medium compounds to post a 1m29.033s lap time. His team mate Bottas was 0.449s off the pace in second place on the same compounds. Racing Point, just ahead of McLaren, Renault and Ferrari in a fierce fight for third in the constructors’ championship, had Turkish GP podium-finisher Sergio Perez third quickest in this session - nearly a second off Hamilton - and Istanbul pole-sitter Lance Stroll ninth. Both set their fastest times on softs. McLaren's Ferrari-bound driver Carlos Sainz was fourth overall, just behind Perez, as the last driver within a second of Hamilton. Sainz's team mate Lando Norris was 18th in the session, ahead of the Williams duo. Former Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly will stay atAlphaTauri for 2021 and he went briefly top in the session on medium compounds before falling to fifth overall. His team mate Daniil Kvyat, who hasn’t yet been confirmed at the Faenza-based team and said on Thursday that his chances of AGENCIES The day after the season-ending Portimao 2021 RS-GP. for technical concessions meant race rider But while Espargaro was making his way from Portugal to Spain on Monday, the first laps with the 2021 bike, being AGENCIES

tHE chants of "Kohli, Kohli" . The out on review. The celebrations when Aaron Finch and Steven Smith reached hundreds. The almost collective amazement at Glenn Maxwell's reverse-swept six. The almighty volume when Virat Kohli was dropped by porters thought a Mitchell Starc full toss on Friday afternoon, spectators entered a men's international match for the first time Crowds have been at sport in the two countries since the middle of the year as staying are 'slim' , finished 17th fastest. Red Bull'sAlexAlbon took seventh and finished just 0.007s behind sixth-place team mate MaxVerstappen in a stronger showing for the Thai driver, while Verstappen spun at Turn 15 with 30 minutes remaining. The Dutchman clocked just 18 laps in the session. The Renaults were split by Racing Point's Stroll, with Esteban Ocon a late improver to P8 on softs and Daniel Ricciardo rounding out the top 10 on mediums. As for Ferrari, last year’s Bahrain GP pole-sitter Charles Leclerc ran wide at Turn 3 but continued on to finish 11th as Ferrari tested various parts throughout the session – perhaps with a view to 2021. Team mate Sebastian Vettel finished just off Leclerc in P12 with both Ferrari drivers having used softs to set their fastest laps. Robert Kubica, now finished with his 2020 DTM campaign, stood in for Kimi Raikkonen atAlfa Romeo and finished 13th, ahead of Italian team mate Antonio Giovinazzi (16th). Romain Grosjean brought out the first yellow flag of the session with an off deep into the Turn 7 gravel. The Haas driver, out of a drive in 2021, finished 14th in the session while his team mate Kevin Magnussen took 15th. The Dane is expected to make a switch Stateside for next year, while both Haas drivers have been in talks with IndyCar squads. FORMULA1 GULFAIR BAHRAIN

GRAND PRIX 2020 Practice 1 results POsitiON tiMe 1 lewis HaMiltON Mercedes 1:29.033 2 Valtteri BOttas Mercedes +0.449s 3 sergiO PereZ raciNg POiNt +0.967s 4 carlOs saiNZ MclareN +0.985s

'Good start' for Aprilia's 2021 MotoGP bike at Jerez test

MotoGP,Aprilia was on track at Jerez for a shakedown test with the first version of its Although there are no official MotoGP post-season tests this season,Aprilia's status as the only remaining factory still qualifying Aleix Espargaro was able to take part in the private outing. Aprilia test rider Bradley Smith conducted 5 Pierre gaslY alPHatauri +1.016s

joined by the #41 at the Spanish Grand Prix venue in the afternoon. Both continued testing onTuesday with Smith and fellow test rider Lorenzo Savadori also completing some Wednesday laps, before the forecast rain duly arrived. As a private test held behind closed doors, no lap times were released for the new bike. However, Aprilia confirmed to Crash.net that the updates include new chassis, new carbon-fibre swingarm and new engine. The riders reported good sensations from the chassis and swingarm updates as well as a positive first impression of the revised engine, which was only a 'first evolution' and so not being used in full power women's series had spectators in Brisbane cricket. However, there was a symmetry ternationals - if only by a couple of hours, ing India - and the volume was something not heard since early this year. Fans were It was at this venue more than eight months ago that the doors were slammed one got their first experience of social distancing and protocols that would become effort has been put in and money spent to keep the show on the road. England manspecification.

SportS 11 Pakistan cricket team’s isolation behaviour has ‘significantly imProved’ : new Zealand govt

AGENCIES

tHE Pakistan cricket team’s behaviour in their bio-secure facility in Christchurch had “significantly improved” , New Zealand’s Ministry of Health said on Friday, just 24 hours after the tourists had been warned about breaching Covid-19 protocols. The ministry had confirmed on Thursday that six of the 53 touring party members had tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival, while there was also evidence there had been breaches of bio-security rules. “Since the team was issued with a AGENCIES more than a year, but admitted he is no be, given the extraordinary wealth of opwith South Africa in February, in which they won the T20Is 2-1 after sharing the time next year - would go a long way towards confirming England as one of the pressing challenge in the intervening six or seven batsmen" , and fit them into hard-fought intra-squad matches followed by what Morgan admitted had been some "The guys are trying to hit them into he explained, "and the nets have been dug-out where a lot of our stuff is, so it's both the CPL and IPL took place behind contest helping, in part, to compensate for But how the big crowds have been swing. The roar when Kohli led India onto wasn't but going from zero to thousands of people had that effect. When India finally sounded like 50,000. Towards the end of Australia's gargantuan innings, a Mexican 20; the Australians lapped up Josh Hazlehave happened without a crowd, but they Having spectators also added to two warning, compliance with MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) rules in the facility has significantly improved, ” it said in a statement on Friday. “We thank members of the team for their co-operation with the case investigations following the announcement of positive cases within the team. “Co-operation and compliance are critical in ensuring

New Zealand is kept safe from Covid-19. ” The positive results had come from tests administered upon the team’s entry to

New Zealand, where all arrivals have to undergo 14 days of isolation. The ministry added that the squad had undergone a second round of Covid-19 testing on Friday. The team had been given an exemption to train together in small ‘bubbles’ after the second round of testing but that has been temporarily rescinded after the positive results. But short of paring down his options "The honest answer is we don't know has made our full-strength side available for selection for the first time in a long Though England reached the final of which stage England had such a settled mat has been installed as the white-ball level of role clarity that carried them to Their most recent T20I series, a 2-1 win over Australia in September, featured something close to England's best XI, alDean Jones before play started (he will be ing Day Test) then at 4.08pm when play paused to remember Phillip Hughes - 408 in getting onto the pitch when protesters happening - before eventually security arof quarantine, but for them, the bubble life Health officials were still conducting interviews with the squad.Anyone considered to have been in close contact with the six positives will not be allowed to train. News of the positive tests and the restrictions being placed on the team sparked an angry response from former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who said New Zealand officials had treated them like a club team. “I want to give a message to New Zealand board (NZC) that this is not a club Shoaib said on his YouTube channel. “We don’t need you.You are talking about Pakistan — the greatest country on the planet — so behave yourself and stop giving such statements. “Be careful next time. ”

Eoin Morgan relishes chance to test full-strength squad in quest for best XI

Eoin Morgan has welcomed the prospect of picking from a full complement of England T20I players for arguably the first time in closer to knowing what his best XI should tions at the squad's disposal. Speaking on the eve of the firstT20I in Cape Town, Morgan said he was anticipating an "extremely competitive, well-fought series" , much like England's last encounter spoils in the ODI leg. But, while a string of victories between now and the next T20 World Cup - scheduled to take place in India (or the UAE) this favouritesforthetitle,Morgansaidthemost monthswouldbetoidentityEngland's"best rolesthatbringouttheirverybestattributes. The competition for places has been intense in the build-up to the series, with two "dangerous" net sessions, given the lay-out of the practice wickets at Newlands. the stands pretty much every second ball, " pointed towards the changing room and the pretty dangerous. It's eyes open, absolutely all the time. " withafewwell-directedrangehits,Morgan admitted he was at a loss as to how best to juggleasquadthatJasonRoythisweeksaid possessed "frightening" amounts of talent. our best XI yet, " Morgan said. "There are probably seven or eight guys who are pretty strong candidates to be in our playing XI, but the strength of the squad that we've selected, and the reserves that we have here, time. That makes it very exciting. "Winningatthemomentwouldbegreat, but the process of going through what's best for our team and best for our players, to try and beat the opposition is extremely important, "headded. "Giventheluxuryofplayers that we have at our disposal, it's more important that we get their roles right and they feel comfortable within that, because if we manage to solve that problem, the results will look after themselves. " the last World T20 in Kolkata in 2016, the format had been on the back-burner in the lead-up to the 2019 50-overWorld Cup, by line-up that their ODI first XI more or less picked itself. But now that the 20-over forteam's priority, England face a race against time and availability to replicate that same glory at Lord's last summer. team, it’s Pakistan national cricket team, ” though Ben Stokes was absent for personal reasons and Roy was injured. But, notwithstanding the prospect of a Covid-19 vaccine in the spring, Morgan said he envisaged all of England's contests taking place in bio-secure bubbles for the foreseeable future.Therefore theT20I team may not get many opportunities to field its best XI, with ten Tests against India and an Ashes tour next winter giving the multi-format players, in particular the likes of Stokes and Jofra Archer, a potentially debilitating workload. Archer, in fact, has played just four T20Is in his England career to date, and missed the last series in SouthAfrica after sustaining an elbow injury during the Tests. And while Morgan was relishing the prospect of unleashing the IPL's recently crowned MVP, he also warned that Archer would require particularly sympathetic handling in the coming months. "He's one of the best in the world, so he's incredible to have around, " Morgan said. "But I don't think we'll have him that often, between now and the World Cup. The challenge of him trying to commit to all the Tests and all of the T20s, I think that's too much. So we're just trying to get him into a headspace where he's enjoying his cricket while he's with us, and trying to make the most of the opportunity while he's with us. " One T20I series that Archer will be inked in for, fitness permitting, is the impending tour of India in the new year, given first-choice XI in the same conditions that they will face at the World Cup.

Chants, roars and boos - cricket finds its voice back at Sydney

roar when DavidWarner was given Adam Zampa.The boos when the India supshould have been a no-ball. The sounds of being at the cricket. When the gates opened at the SCG early since March 13.Afew hours later across the Tasman, they came into Eden Park to watch New Zealand take on West Indies (and what a ridiculous game that turned out to be). New Zealand andAustralia have, largely, led the way in keeping Covid-19 under control. Crowds have been back at cricket, too, since September when theAustralia-New Zealand which has been followed by fans at domestic about Sydney getting there first for men's inand because of Queensland's U-turn on hostback in the stands for a men's international for the first time since March Getty Images shut on the international game as fans were locked out of the opening ODI betweenAustralia and New Zealand. The ground rattled to the sound of silence (something which has become much more 'normal' since) as everypart of everyday life.The day after, the series was cancelled. During the intervening months, so much aged to get in a full home summer, Pakistan hosted Zimbabwe and in the franchise world, closed doors. The quality of the cricket has been a testimony to the professionalism and drive of the players, the cut and thrust of the the empty, soulless stadiums. missed. Outside the SCG, hours before play started,theBharatArmywasgettingintofull the field felt almost deafening - of course, it broke the opening partnership, successfully reviewingforanedgeagainstWarner,17,821 wavewentaroundtheground.TheIndiasupporters enjoyed Starc's opening over costing wood's three wickets. All these things could were so much better with one. poignant moments: the minute's silence for honoured more extensively during the Boxbeing his Test cap number - on the sixth anniversary of his death with Finch andWarner taking a moment to glance skywards. Of course, there was a lot that still wasn't quite normal. Not least the speed of security against Adani, an Indian company involved in controversial coal mining in Queensland, jogged onto the field. For a moment, nobody moved - players starting to wonder what was rived and escorted the men off while trying to maintain their distance. On a more day-to-day level, QR codes, temperature checks and reminders to social distance are all part of the new experience. The ground has two zones - controlled and uncontrolled - with the players in the former and no mixing between the two.They are out that could be a chance to trial England's

goes on.This, everyone hopes, will work for the rest of the summer. It has been confirmed that spectators will be able to attend BBL matches across all the states and it appears Adelaide has escaped the risk of having to have the opening Test behind closed doors after the recent Covid-19 scare in the city. Melbourne, which endured a 100-day lockdown during a second wave, is set to welcome 25,000 for the Boxing DayTest although there is a push for that to be increased. However, recent comments by Victoria sports minister Martin Pakula cautioned over how far things have already come in a pandemic year. "I know CricketAustralia and the MCG would like a few more, " he told SEN Radio. "What I'd be more inclined to focus on is ... the way I look at it is a month or two ago the idea of the Test going ahead, crowd or no crowd looked so remote, I'm pretty satisfied with the fact we're going to have a Boxing Day Test at 25,000 a day. " Then there are also the reminders of how little it would take to upend the best-laid plans. The events in Adelaide a couple of weeks ago, which led to players being hastily flown out of the state, showed how quickly a situation can change. Across the Tasman, the positive Covid-19 tests among the Pakistan squad and their breaches of the protocol have left the tour on edge. A warm, sunny Sydney afternoon with chants of "India, India" ringing around the ground, glorious strokeplay, cheers for the runs of Finch, Smith, Dhawan and Pandya, and a high-scoring one-day international was a wonderful, heart-warming experience.

NEWS

Iran’S tOP nuClEar SCIEntISt aSSaSSInatEd nEar tEhran

AGENCIES

aN Iranian scientist long suspected by the West of masterminding a secret nuclear bomb programme was killed in an ambush near Tehran on Friday that could provoke confrontation between Iran and its foes in the last weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency. The military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed Israel for the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, and vowed to retaliate for his killing.

“In the last days of the political life of their ... ally (Trump), the Zionists seek to intensify pressure on Iran and create a fullRIYADH/TEL AVIV AGENCIES mies alike that the two countries remain mon foe Iran.

Last Sunday ’s covert meeting in the officials but publicly denied by Riyadh, conveyed a coordinated message to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden that Washingas the two countries do not have formal

“It’s Iran, Iran, Iran, ” Israeli cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Israel’s Army Radio when asked about the visit.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NeU.S. President Donald Trump and chamAGENCIES US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will leave the White House if the Electoral College formalises PresidentElect Joe Biden’s victory even as he insisted such a decision would be a mistake as he spent his Thanksgiving renewing baseless claims that massive fraud and crooked officials in battleground states caused his election defeat.

“Certainly I will. But you know that, ” Trump said on Thursday when asked whether he would vacate the building, allowing a peaceful transition of power in January.

But Trump — taking questions for the first time since Election Day — insisted that “a lot of things” would happen between now and then that might alter the results.

“This has a long way to go, ” Trump said, even though he lost.

The fact that a sitting American president even had to address whether or not he would leave office after losing re-election underscores the extent to which Trump has blown war, ” Hossein Dehgan tweeted.

“We will strike as thunder at the killers of this oppressed martyr and will make them regret their action. ”

Fakhrizadeh died of injuries in hospital after armed assassins fired on his car, Iranian state media reported. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s office declined to comment on the killing. In the United States, the Pentagon declined to comment and the State Department andWhiteHousedidnotimmediatelyrespond to requests for comment. President-elect Joe Biden’s team also declined to comment.

Fakhrizadeh has been described by Western and Israeli intelligence services for years as the leader of a covert atomic bomb programme halted in 2003, which Israel and the United States accuse Tehran of trying to restore in secret. Iran has long denied seeking to weaponise nuclear energy.

“Unfortunately, the medical team did not succeed in reviving (Fakhrizadeh), and a few minutes ago, this manager and scientist achieved the high status of martyrdom after years of effort and struggle, ” Iran’s armed forces said in a statement carried by state media. The semi-official news agency Tasnim said “terrorists blew up another car” before firing on a vehicle carrying Fakhrizadeh and his bodyguards in an ambush outside the capital.

Regardless of who was responsible for the attack, it is certain to escalate tension between Iran and the United States in the final weeks of Trump’s U.S. presidency.

Trump, who lost his re-election bid on Nov. 3 and leaves office on Jan. 20, has repeatedly accused Iran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons. Trump pulled the United States out of a deal under which sanctions on Iran were lifted in return for curbs on its nuclear programme. Biden has said he would restore it.

A U.S. official confirmed earlier this month that Trump had asked military aides for a plan for a possible strike on Iran.Trump decided against it at that time because of the risk it could provoke an uncontrollable wider Middle East conflict.

Last January, a U.S. drone strike in Iraq killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s most powerful military commander. Iran retaliated for that attack by firing missiles at a U.S. base in Iraq, the closest the two foes have come to war in decades.

Fakhrizadeh is thought to have headed what the U.N. nuclear watchdog and U.S. intelligence services believe was a coordinated nuclear weapons programme in Iran, shelved in 2003. He was the only Iranian scientist named in the International Atomic Energy Agency ’s 2015 “final assessment” of open questions about Iran’s nuclear programme. The IAEA’s report said he oversaw activities “in support of a possible military dimension to (Iran’s) nuclear programme” . ‘REMEMBER THAT NAME’: He was a central figure in a presentation by Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu in 2018 accusing Iran of continuing to seek nuclear weapons.

“Remember that name, Fakhrizadeh, ” Netanyahu said at the time.

During the final months of Trump’s presidency, Israel has been making peace with Gulf Arab states that share its hostility towards Iran.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu travelled to SaudiArabia and met its crown prince, an Israeli official said, in what would be the first publicly confirmed visit by an Israeli leader. Israeli media said they were joined by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

On Friday before the news of the attack on Fakhrizadeh emerged, an Israeli official said Israel was discussing with Gulf Arab states how to tackle Iran.

“The story is notTrump, nor even Israel. The story is Iran - the growing dread that a new U.S. administration will go back to the nuclear deal which threatens the very existence of the Gulf countries, ” Tzachi Hanegbi, who sits in Netanyahu ’s security cabinet, told TelAviv radio station 102 FM.

“We will know how to handle the issue of the Iranian threat, even if through our

Covert Israeli-Saudi meeting sends Biden a strong message on Iran

A historic meeting between Israel’s prime minister and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has sent a strong signal to allies and enedeeply committed to containing their com-

Saudi city of Neom, confirmed by Israeli ton’s main allies in the region are closing ranks.

It was the first publicly confirmed visit to Saudi Arabia by an Israeli leader and a meeting that was unthinkable until recently diplomatic relations. But it underlines the depth of the two countries’concerns about Iran, and shows how opposition to Tehran is bringing about a strategic realignment of countries in the Middle East.

“It is very, very important to create the axis which isolates Iran. ”

Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, and tanyahu both enjoyed strong support from own means. ”

pioned his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

They fear Biden will adopt policies on Iran similar to those adopted during Barak Obama’s U.S. presidency which strained Washington’s ties with its traditional regional allies. Biden has said he will rejoin the international nuclear pact with Iran that Trump quit in 2018 - and work with allies to strengthen its terms - if Tehran first resumes strict compliance.

Both Israel and Saudi Arabia have recently ramped up rhetoric against Iran, which is locked in several proxy wars with Riyadh in the region.

Iran has built a network of armed groups across theArab world, from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon and down into the Gulf and Yemen. Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked Saudi oil installations last week, the latest in a string of attacks on Saudi targets.

Israel is waging a shadow war against Iranian forces, mostly through regular air raids in Syria on Lebanese Shia paramilitary group Hezbollah, on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and on supplies of weapons as they are moved across the country. SAUDI KING NOT INFORMED: Sunday ’s meeting was held in the presence of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israel’s spy chief, Israeli media said.

Pompeo, who has been trying to coax Saudi Arabia to follow the lead of the UnitedArab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan in normalising ties with Israel, declined to confirm the meeting. But diplomats in the region said U.S. envoys had privately confirmed the meeting took place.

Netanyahu declined comment on the meeting. He has yet to visit the UAE and Bahrain since formal ties were established, with tacit approval from Gulf powerhouse SaudiArabia. On Thursday, he said he expected more countries to normalise ties with Israel in the next few months.

There was limited talk of the meeting on Saudi social media, but some opposition figures denounced the visit. Political analysts said the Saudi denial of the meeting could have been a way to test the waters at home.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, has softened its stance on Israel in recent years, but signalled it is not yet ready to officially normalise ties, which analysts say would be a difficult move for King Salman in the absence of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

“(The meeting with Netanyahu) aimed to highlight that MbS (Mohammed bin Salman) is more willing than his father to take steps towards normalisation without first reaching a two-state solution, ” said Neil Quilliam, Associate Fellow at Chatham House think tank.

Despite this, normalisation is not expected to happen while King Salman is alive, said a well-connected Saudi source and a foreign diplomat in Riyadh. “Normalisation ... is a carrot to get (Biden’s) focus away from other issues, especially (Saudi) human rights, ” the diplomat said.

The Saudi source and the diplomat said the Saudi king was kept in the dark about Netanyahu ’s visit.

Although the king chaired last weekend’s virtual G20 leaders’ summit, rumours of his declining health have swirled since he was admitted to hospital this summer. A video was leaked during the G20 summit which showed MbS correcting the confused king’s recollection, a leak which sources said was intentional.

The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ISRAELI LEAK:The leak of Prince Mohammed’s meeting with Netanyahu may have been intentional from Israel: an executive jet was used for the direct flight from Tel Aviv, which was quickly spotted on open-sourceflighttrackers,andIsraelicensors made no efforts to quash reporting on the trip. The leak gave Netanyahu an opportunity to embarrass his political rival, DefenceMinisterBennyGantz,whoisdue to take over as prime minister a year from now under a power-sharing agreement.

It included news that Netanyahu had not informed Gantz about the flight, in effect implying to Israeli voters that the centrist politician cannot be trusted to keep a secret, following speculation that an early election is on the cards.

Gantz called the leak “irresponsible” .

Netanyahu has acknowledged he also kept Gantz in the dark about secret negotiations with the UAE that led to normalisation.

OPEC+ panel to hold informal online talks on Saturday

MOSCOW/DUBAI AGENCIES

A panel of OPEC+, a group of leading oil producing countries, will hold informal online talks on Saturday prior to meetings scheduled for next week, a letter seen by Reuters showed and source with the knowledge of the matter said. OPEC+ is debating whether to ease oil output cuts from Jan.1, as it previously agreed, or to continue producing at the same rate amid sluggish oil demand and fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The letter from the OPEC, seen by Reuters, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak will attend Saturday ’s informal consultations of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee’s heads. Novak was energy minister until earlier this month, leading Moscow ’s efforts to forge close ties with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and clinch the deal on output cuts. Saudi Arabia will be presented by its Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. OPEC+ will meet on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 to decide output policy for next year. The group was due to raise output by 2 million barrels per day in January – about 2% of global consumption – as part of a steady easing of record supply cuts implemented this year. But with demand for fuel weakening because of a second wave of the pandemic, OPEC+ has been considering delaying the increase or

Trump says he’ll leave if Electoral College seats Biden

even making further cuts. smashed one convention after another over the last three weeks.

While there is no evidence of the kind of widespread fraud Trump has been alleging, he and his legal team have nonetheless been working to cast doubt on the integrity of the election and trying to overturn voters will in an unprecedented breach of democratic norms.

Trump spoke to reporters in the White House’s ornate Diplomatic Reception Room after holding a teleconference with US military leaders stationed across the globe.

He thanked them for their service and jokingly warned them not to eat too much turkey, then turned to the election after ending the call. He repeated grievances and angrily denounced officials in Georgia and Pennsylvania, two key swing states that helped give Biden the win.

Trump claimed, despite the results, that this may not be his last Thanksgiving at the White House. And he insisted there had been “massive fraud, ” even though state officials and international observers have said no evidence of that exists and Trump’s campaign has repeatedly failed in court.

Trump’s administration has already given the green light for a formal transition to get under way. But Trump took issue with Biden moving forward.

“I think its not right that he’s trying to pick a cabinet, ” Trump said, even though officials from both teams are already working together to get Biden’s team up to speed.

And as he refused to concede, Trump announced that he will be traveling to Georgia to rally supporters ahead of two Senate run-off elections that will determine which party controls the Senate.

Trump said the rally for Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler would likely be held Saturday. The White House later clarified he had meant December 5.

One of the reasons Republicans have stood by Trump and his baseless claims of fraud has been to keep his loyal base energised ahead of those run-offs on January 5.

But Trump, in his remarks, openly questioned whether that election would be fair in a move that could dampen Republican turnout.

“I think you ’re dealing with a very fraudulent system. I’m very worried about that, ” he said. “People are very disappointed that we were robbed. ”

As for the Electoral College, Trump made clear that he will likely never formally concede, even if he said he would leave the White House.

“It’s gonna be a very hard thing to concede. Because we know there was massive fraud, ” he said, noting that, “time isn’t on our side” . “If they do, ” vote against him, Trump added, “they ’ ve made a mistake” .

Asked whether he would attend Biden’s inauguration, Trump said he knew the answer but didn’t want to share it yet.

But there were some signs that Trump was coming to terms with his loss.

At one point he urged reporters not to allow Biden the credit for pending coronavirus vaccines.

“Don’t let him take credit for the vaccines because the vaccines were me and I pushed people harder than they ’ ve ever been pushed before, ” he said.

As for whether or not he plans to formally declare his candidacy to run again in 2024 — as he has discussed with aides — Trump said he didn’t “ want to talk about 2024 yet” . All states must certify their results before the Electoral College meets on December 14, and any challenge to the results must be resolved by December 8.

States have already begun that process, including Michigan, where Trump and his allies tried and failed to delay the process, and Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Vote certification at the local and state level is typically a ministerial task that gets little notice, but that changed this year with Trump’s refusal to concede and his unprecedented attempts to overturn the results of the election through a fusillade of legal challenges and attempts to manipulate the certification process in battleground states he lost. Biden won by wide margins in both the Electoral College and popular vote, where he received nearly 80 million votes, a record.