pakistan

Fury in France as protesters block Paris ring road following Macron’s forced pension reform

Published

1 year ago

March 17, 2023

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Protesters blocked a key highway around the French capital and escalated strikes at refineries Friday in a new show of anger after President Emmanuel Macron pushed through a contentious pension reform without a parliamentary vote.

Macron’s move sparked protests across the country on Thursday night, with more than 300 people arrested nationwide, according to the interior minister.

On Friday morning, some 200 protesters briefly blocked traffic on the ring road outside the capital.

Soumaya Gentet, 51, a CGT union member from supermarket chain Monoprix, said she was incensed and would continue to protest until the bill was revoked.

“They’re not taking into account what the people want,” she said.

Her colleague Lamia Kerrouzi agreed. “Macron doesn’t give a fig about the people,” she said.

“He doesn’t understand the language of the people. It needs to be repealed.”

In the energy sector, strikers were to halt production at a large refinery by this weekend or Monday at the latest, CGT union representative Eric Sellini said.

Workers had already been on a rolling strike at the northern site TotalEnergies de Normandie, but halting production would escalate the industrial action.

Strikers continued to deliver less fuel than normal from several other sites, he added.

The government on Thursday afternoon invoked a controversial constitutional power to impose the pension overhaul by decree, sparking protests outside parliament in Paris as well as in several other cities.

The ensuing unrest saw 310 people arrested around France, including 258 in Paris, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told RTL radio.

“The opposition is legitimate, the protests are legitimate, but wreaking havoc is not,” he said.

A couple of thousand protesters massed opposite parliament on Thursday to protest the move.

In the evening, several clashed with police, who moved in to arrest some on suspicion of seeking to cause damage.

Similar scenes unfolded across France.

Several stores were looted during protests in Marseille while clashes between demonstrators and security forces also erupted in the western cities of Nantes and Rennes as well as Lyon in the southeast, according to AFP correspondents.

An AFP photographer on Friday morning saw damage including a burnt-out public bicycle, shattered shop window, and scorched car in Paris.

The government imposed the pensions bill, which seeks to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite two months of coordinated nationwide strikes and some of the biggest protests in decades.

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pakistan

Former PM Raja Parvez Ashraf raises concerns over IMF bailout conditions

Published

6 hours ago

May 3, 2024

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Former PM Raja Parvez Ashraf raises concerns over IMF bailout conditions

Former prime minister Raja Parvez Ashraf has raised concerns about the potential conditions of the new IMF bailout package for Pakistan.

In a statement issued on Friday, the PPP Central Punjab President suggested that the government should brief parliament on the IMF package, with the finance minister providing lawmakers with details on new taxes and approved austerity measures during an in-camera session.

Ashraf underscored that instead of privatising Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other vital institutions, state-owned enterprises should be managed through public-private partnerships.

The former PM strongly opposed the idea of imposing taxes on pensioners, deeming it unacceptable. He urged the Finance Ministry to seek an alternative solution.

Raja Parvez Ashraf also highlighted the potential for enhanced harmony between the Centre and the provinces through the full implementation of the 18th Amendment.

He also proposed the abolition of unnecessary ministries to alleviate the financial burden on the federation.

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pakistan

Pakistan slams Indian atrocities against minorities, Kashmiris at UN

Published

6 hours ago

May 3, 2024

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Pakistan slams Indian atrocities against minorities, Kashmiris at UN

Pakistan addressed the UN General Assembly on Thursday, asserting that India was targeting Indian Muslims, Christians and Muslims in occupied Kashmir, and urged an end to their harsh suppression.

Ambassador Munir Akram stated during a debate on ‘Culture of Peace’ that since the BJP-RSS government took office in 2014, hate, oppression and violence against India’s 200 million Muslims, as well as other minorities like Christians and the ‘lower-caste’ Dalits, became rampant and systematic, driven by the ideology of Hindutva.

The envoy emphasised that unless Hindutva fascism was opposed and the impunity of the BJP-RSS ended, wider violence and conflict in South Asia would remain a real and present danger.

Despite efforts to promote a “Culture of Peace,” Akram noted a rise in hate, violence and war worldwide, with over 300 conflicts raging across the globe.

Highlighting Pakistan’s efforts to combat Islamophobia, Akram expressed deep concern at the officially sanctioned manifestations of Islamophobia in India, citing the Citizenship Law and National Registry list designed to exclude Muslims from citizenship.

The envoy warned of the spread of Hindutva extremism, which he said turbo-charged repression in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He called for urgent resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Akram also highlighted India’s belligerence towards Pakistan, citing threats from Indian officials to “take over” Azad Kashmir and dangerous military doctrines adopted by India.

He accused India of financing and sponsoring terrorist groups to disrupt the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and highlighted Pakistan’s concerns over India’s campaign of targeted assassinations, even beyond its borders.

Akram emphasised the urgent need for the international community to address these issues and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to peace and stability in the region.

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pakistan

NA Secretariat accepts inclusion of independent members in SIC

Published

1 day ago

May 2, 2024

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NA Secretariat accepts inclusion of independent members in SIC

he National Assembly Secretariat has accepted the inclusion of independent members (PTI-backed MNAs) in the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Dunya News reported.

The National Assembly Secretariat has released a list of 83 members of Sunni Ittehad Council on its official website after the approval of NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.

After the inclusion of independent members, Sunni Ittehad Council has become second largest party in the lower house of the parliament with 83 members.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had sent a notification regarding the inclusion of independent members in the SIC to the National Assembly Secretariat.

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