Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Field General Court Martial has sentenced former lieutenant general Faiz Hameed to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment after finding him guilty on four charges, the military&rsquo;s media wing said on Thursday. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the court martial process began on Aug. 12, 2024, and continued for 15 months under the Pakistan Army Act. The charges included engaging in political activities, violating the Official Secrets Act in a manner &ldquo;detrimental to the safety and interest of the State,&quot; misuse of authority and government resources, and causing wrongful loss to individuals. ISPR said the proceedings were &ldquo;lengthy and laborious,&rdquo; adding that the court had now promulgated its decision. It noted that Hameed was provided all legal rights, including representation by a defense team of his choice. The convict retains the right to appeal before the relevant forum. The statement added that his alleged involvement in &ldquo;fomenting vested political agitation and instability&rdquo; in coordination with political actors, as well as other matters, is being dealt with separately. Information minister&rsquo;s reaction&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, while reacting to the sentencing, said the decision against Faiz Hameed has come on the basis of evidence. &ldquo;Today, the person who crossed the red line has been punished,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Faiz Hameed was given a full opportunity to defend himself during the trial. He was given a chance to present his defense as well as his witnesses,&rdquo; said the information minister. &lsquo;No one is above the law&rsquo;&ldquo;After recording the statements of all witnesses and presenting the evidence, a just decision has been delivered,&rdquo; Tarar said. &ldquo;No one is above the law,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Legal action is taken against anyone who crosses the red line. Faiz Hameed misused his authority&rdquo;, Tarar said, adding, &ldquo;There will be further investigations into political matters.&rdquo; &lsquo;Victory of truth and justice&rsquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Faiz Hameed was found guilty of all charges; he has also been convicted in the Top City (a housing society) case,&rdquo; said the information minister. &ldquo;The process of self-accountability within the army is very strong, and everyone has seen clear proof of this,&rdquo; said the information minister. Tarar also said that &ldquo;Faiz Hameed was also a political adviser to PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf).&rdquo; &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s decision is a victory of truth and justice,&rdquo; he added.

Politics

The charges include engaging in political activities, violating the Official Secrets Act in a manner 'detrimental to the safety and interest of the State,' misuse of authority and government resources, and causing wrongful loss to individuals.

Former Pakistan spy chief sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment

GAZA CITY: Gaza&#39;s civil defense agency on Friday said at least 16 people had died in the last 24 hours, including three children who died from exposure to the cold, as a winter storm battered the territory. Heavy rain from Storm Byron has flooded tents and temporary shelters across the Gaza Strip since late on Wednesday, compounding the suffering of the territory&#39;s residents, nearly all of whom were displaced during more than two years of war. Gaza&#39;s civil defense agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, told AFP three children had died from exposure to the cold &mdash; two in Gaza City and one in Khan Younis in the south. Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City confirmed the deaths of Hadeel al-Masri, aged nine, and Taim al-Khawaja, who it said was just several months old. Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis on Thursday said eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar had died in the nearby tented encampment of Al-Mawasi due to the cold. With most of Gaza&#39;s buildings destroyed or damaged, thousands of tents and makeshift shelters now line areas cleared of rubble. Civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said six people died when a house collapsed in the Bir al-Naja area of the northern Gaza Strip. Two bodies were recovered from the rubble of a home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, he added. Five others died when walls collapsed in multiple separate incidents, Bassal said. In a statement, the civil defense said its teams had responded to calls from &quot;13 houses that collapsed due to heavy rains and strong winds, mostly in Gaza City and the north.&quot; No dry clothes&nbsp;Under gloomy skies in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinians used bowls, buckets, and hoes to try and remove the water that had pooled around their tents made of plastic sheeting. Young children, some barefoot and others wearing open sandals, trudged and hopped through ponds of muddy water as the rain continued to fall. &quot;The mattress has been soaked since this morning, and the children slept in wet bedding last night,&quot; Umm Muhammad Joudah told AFP. &quot;We don&#39;t have any dry clothes to change into.&quot; Saif Ayman, a 17-year-old who was on crutches due to a leg injury, said his tent had also been submerged. &quot;In this tent, we have no blankets. There are six of us sleeping on one mattress, and we cover ourselves with our clothes,&quot; he said. Jonathan Crickx, spokesperson for the UN children&#39;s agency, who is currently in Gaza, told AFP that night-time temperatures could drop to around eight or nine degrees Celsius (46-48 degrees Fahrenheit). &quot;The rains are heavy, and these families are living in makeshift tents battered by the wind, where they&#39;re barely protected by a plastic tarp,&quot; he said. Samer Morsi, a 22-year-old displaced Palestinian sheltering in the central area of Deir el-Balah, said he had &quot;spent the night holding onto the tent pole so it wouldn&#39;t fly away in the strong wind.&quot; &quot;We don&#39;t know how to cope with these harsh conditions,&quot; he added. &quot;We are human beings with feelings, not made of stone.&quot; &#39;Appalling hygiene conditions&#39;&nbsp;Crickx also described &quot;absolutely appalling hygiene and sanitary conditions,&quot; saying there was a fear that preventable waterborne illnesses could spread. &quot;There aren&#39;t enough toilets, there are places &mdash; I saw some in Gaza City &mdash;where large pools of water are essentially open sewers right next to the displacement camps. So we&#39;re especially concerned for the immediate health of the children,&quot; he said. A ceasefire between Israel and the fighter group Hamas that took effect in October has partially eased restrictions on goods and aid entering into the Gaza Strip. But supplies have entered in insufficient quantities, according to the United Nations, and the humanitarian needs are still immense. The UN&#39;s World Health Organization warned on Friday that thousands of families were &quot;sheltering in low-lying or debris-filled coastal areas with no drainage or protective barriers.&quot; &quot;Winter conditions, combined with poor water and sanitation, are expected to drive a surge in acute respiratory infections,&quot; it added.

Middle East

Heavy rain from Storm Byron has flooded tents and temporary shelters across the Gaza Strip since late on Wednesday, compounding the suffering of the territory's residents, nearly all of whom were displaced during more than two years of war.

Gaza civil defense says 16 dead as heavy rains batter territory

NEW YORK: The expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is at its highest level since at least 2017, when the United Nations began tracking such data, according to a report by the UN chief seen by AFP on Friday. In 2025, &quot;plans for nearly 47,390 housing units were advanced, approved, or tendered, compared with some 26,170 in 2024,&quot; the report said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the &quot;relentless&quot; expansion, saying it &quot;continues to fuel tensions, impede access by Palestinians to their land and threaten the viability of a fully independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State.&quot; &quot;These figures represent a sharp increase compared to previous years,&quot; he added, noting an average of 12,815 housing units were added annually between 2017 and 2022. Excluding East Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, some 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, along with about three million Palestinian residents. &quot;These developments are further entrenching the unlawful Israeli occupation and violating international law and undermining the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination,&quot; Gutteres said. Guterres also condemned the &quot;continued escalation of violence and tensions in the occupied West Bank,&quot; pointing out operations by the Israeli Defense Forces in the northern West Bank that have killed a &quot;high number&quot; of people, displaced residents, and destroyed homes and other infrastructure. Violence in the West Bank has soared since Hamas&#39;s October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,022 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the conflict, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures. At least 44 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank from Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations during the same period, according to Israeli data.

Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,022 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the conflict, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures.

Israeli settlements in West Bank growing at highest level since 2017: UN

Faraz Saeed

LAHORE: Pakistan has approved major reforms to the country&rsquo;s vehicle import regime, abolishing the Personal Baggage Scheme and introducing tighter controls under the Transfer of Residence and Gift Schemes. The measures aim to curb the misuse of existing facilities and align national import procedures with international standards. The decisions were taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) during its meeting on December 9, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. A summary submitted by the commerce ministry informed the committee that the Personal Baggage Scheme, previously permitting vehicle imports for individuals who had spent 180 days abroad, was being &ldquo;misused for commercial purposes.&rdquo; Acting on this assessment, the ECC approved its complete abolition. Under the revised policy, the Transfer of Residence and Gift Schemes will continue but with significantly strengthened requirements. All vehicles imported under these schemes must now meet the same safety and environmental standards applicable to commercial imports, ensuring that only compliant and quality-assured vehicles enter the Pakistani market. The government has also extended the eligibility period for importing a vehicle under these schemes. Individuals must now have completed at least 850 cumulative days abroad over the previous three years, replacing the earlier two-year benchmark. Furthermore, imported vehicles will be non-transferable for one year, preventing immediate resale and discouraging commercial exploitation. The commerce ministry has proposed amendments to the Import Policy Order 2022 to reflect these policy adjustments. These changes will be formally incorporated into Appendix F once the government issues a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO), which will bring the new rules into effect. The domestic auto industry has welcomed the measures, noting that stronger import regulations are essential for sustainable sectoral growth. Shehryar Qadir, senior vice chairman of the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts &amp; Accessories Manufacturers (Paapam), highlighted the industry&rsquo;s economic contribution, stating that the sector comprises &ldquo;around 1,200 factories, employs 2.5 million people, generates Rs500 billion [$1.78 billion] annually in government revenue, and holds $5 billion in foreign investment.&rdquo; He cautioned that &ldquo;import-friendly policies risk undermining these gains, especially at a time when industrial revival and localization are declared priorities.&rdquo; Local manufacturers have also raised concerns about increasing used-vehicle imports, estimating a Rs50 billion ($178 million) loss over the past year due to the influx of foreign vehicles. The updated import regime is expected to address these concerns by closing loopholes and ensuring stricter regulatory compliance. With the ECC&rsquo;s approval, Pakistan moves toward a more transparent and tightly governed vehicle import system. The timely issuance of the SRO will be the next critical step in operationalizing these reforms and supporting the government&rsquo;s commitment to strengthening domestic industry and improving regulatory oversight.

Economy

The federal government says it is abolishing the Personal Baggage Scheme and tightening vehicle import rules to curb misuse, enforce standards, and strengthen Pakistan’s regulated import system.

Pakistan scraps Personal Baggage Scheme, tightens vehicle import regulations

ISLAMABAD: An India-based Russia Today (RT) account on X removed a post early Saturday after misstating the circumstances of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif&rsquo;s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan. The deleted post had claimed that PM Sharif &ldquo;waited over 40 minutes for President Putin before growing tired and gatecrashing&rdquo; the Russian leader&rsquo;s meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It further asserted: &ldquo;He left ten minutes later.&rdquo; Early Saturday, the same account acknowledged that its earlier message &ldquo;may have been a misrepresentation of the events,&rdquo; adding: &ldquo;We deleted an earlier post about Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif waiting to meet Vladimir Putin at the Peace and Trust Forum in Turkmenistan.&rdquo; No apology accompanied the clarification. The account, which is followed by more than 76,000 users, including RT&rsquo;s main handle, does not identify itself as a parody, commentary, or fan page. X&rsquo;s policies state that accounts &ldquo;must be authentic&rdquo; and that any non-authentic accounts must clearly disclose their status as Parody, Commentary, or Fan. Presenting itself as an official platform, the RT India account&rsquo;s post was subsequently carried by several Indian outlets, including The Times of India, NDTV, and India Today, amplifying the inaccurate portrayal of the meeting. In contrast, the Embassy of Russia in Pakistan confirmed that President Putin met PM Sharif in Ashgabat. The embassy released a video showing the two leaders warmly greeting each other in a hallway, contradicting the imagery circulated by the India-based RT account, which had depicted the prime minister seated and waiting.

India

Says deleted post “misrepresentation of the events,” retracting claim that PM Sharif waited for President Putin, after Russian embassy video shows the leaders’ cordial hallway meeting.

RT India deletes post after misreporting Sharif–Putin meeting

LAHORE: Pakistani undergraduate economists delivered a standout performance at the 20th South Asian Economics Students&rsquo; Meet 2025 held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The event, organized by the Nepal Economic Association in partnership with Tribhuvan University and supported by the World Bank, brought together the brightest young minds from across South Asia. The theme of this year&rsquo;s conference was &ldquo;Assessing Risks and Vulnerabilities in South Asia and the Path to Economic Resilience.&rdquo; The delegation from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) emerged as the most successful team, securing the highest number of accolades among participating countries. Leading the charge, the LUMS team, representing the Chaudhry Nazar Muhammad Department of Economics, included Muhammad Hasaan Haroon, Hiba Sajjad, Maria Khalid, Simran, Zainab Asad, Zulekha Shoib, and Amen. The delegation was accompanied by faculty members Dr. Ali Hasanain and Dr. Fahd Ali. Alongside LUMS, participants from the Lahore School of Economics also contributed to Pakistan&rsquo;s remarkable showing. Pakistan&rsquo;s impressive performance included four wins in paper presentations, the most by any nation, along with a victory in the Policy Discussion Round. The team also performed strongly in the flagship Budding Economist Quiz, with all four LUMS participants making it to the top ten. The LUMS delegates made notable contributions with their research. Simran&rsquo;s study on the impact of covariate and idiosyncratic shocks on poverty and welfare, Maria Khalid&rsquo;s exploration of trade disruptions and investment risks, Muhammad Hasaan Haroon&rsquo;s work on energy transition pathways, and Hiba Sajjad&rsquo;s examination of urbanization and infrastructure resilience all won top honors. Other Pakistani delegates also performed strongly, finishing as runner-ups in various categories. The LUMS team&rsquo;s performance was further solidified by its dominance in the Budding Economist Quiz. All four participants advanced to the top ten, with Zulekha Shoib from LUMS reaching the final five after presenting her research on the long-term economic effects of floods in Pakistan. Shoib&rsquo;s paper extended an existing mathematical model, drawing attention to the lasting economic consequences of natural disasters. Reflecting on the experience, Shoib described it as both academically rewarding and culturally enriching. &ldquo;Sharing a room with an Indian participant was a unique learning experience,&rdquo; she said. Muhammad Shahwali Najmi, team leader from LUMS, called the conference &ldquo;unforgettable&rdquo; and highlighted Pakistan&rsquo;s exceptional performance. &ldquo;Our team members, Hassan, Simran, Maria, and Hiba won their respective paper presentation categories, and we were runners-up in several others. Pakistan secured four wins in paper themes, India three, with the remaining awards shared among other nations. We also emerged victorious in the policy discussion and had the most students in the top ten of the Budding Economist competition,&rdquo; he told Pakistan TV Digital. The experience left a lasting impression on the participants, many of whom noted the academic depth and regional solidarity fostered during the event. &ldquo;The conference was academically rich, and I particularly appreciated the opportunity to interact with leading specialists from the World Bank,&rdquo; said Aman from LUMS, who presented on carbon and solar taxes. Mobeen Mukhtar, from the Lahore School of Economics, who spoke on education disruption, called the event a &ldquo;major learning leap.&rdquo; Zainab Asad from LUMS noted that engaging with economists from across the region provided her with &ldquo;valuable insights&rdquo; into the shared vulnerabilities facing South Asia. Aliza Waseem, winner of the Policy Discussion Round from the Lahore School of Economics, emphasized that the region&rsquo;s common economic challenges demand collaborative solutions. &ldquo;South Asia&rsquo;s economic future hinges on regional cooperation,&rdquo; she said. Hasaan Haroon, from LUMS, who presented on the &ldquo;utility death spiral&rdquo; in energy tariffs, echoed this sentiment. &ldquo;The conference reinforced the idea of a &lsquo;One South Asia,&rsquo; where the challenges we face are interconnected, and our solutions must be too,&rdquo; he remarked. Upon returning to Pakistan, the delegation was warmly received by Pakistan Ambassador to Nepal Abrar H. Hashmi who praised the students for their &ldquo;outstanding national performance.&rdquo; He commended their achievements at what is regarded as one of the region&rsquo;s most competitive academic forums. The success of the LUMS team further underscored the university&rsquo;s role as a leading institution in nurturing Pakistan&rsquo;s brightest young economists. With 2025 marking one of LUMS&rsquo; most successful years at the regional level, the university&rsquo;s leadership remains committed to fostering academic excellence and international collaboration.

Education

The 20th South Asian Economics Students' Meet 2025 saw Pakistani students, led by LUMS, win multiple awards, excelling in paper presentations, policy discussions, and quizzes.

Pakistani students outshine South Asian counterparts at Nepal Conference

ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is facing backlash after releasing its promotional poster for the T20 World Cup 2026, which notably excluded Pakistan&rsquo;s captain, while featuring India&rsquo;s skipper.&nbsp;The omission has ignited claims of political bias, with fans accusing the ICC of being influenced by India&rsquo;s growing power in global cricket.&nbsp;The poster, which highlights captains from India, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, left out Pakistan, one of the top T20 teams.&nbsp;Fans and cricket commentators have slammed the decision, suggesting that it was politically motivated, particularly given India&rsquo;s role as a co-host of the upcoming tournament.&nbsp;Critics have pointed fingers at Jay Shah, the ICC Chairman, who is closely associated with India&rsquo;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They argue that India&rsquo;s increasing influence within cricket governance is undermining the sport&rsquo;s neutrality and fairness.&nbsp;On social media, Pakistan&rsquo;s cricket fans expressed outrage, accusing the ICC of marginalizing Pakistan&rsquo;s visibility in favor of India. &ldquo;This exclusion is too blatant to be accidental,&rdquo; said one user.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1999081034592452759&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=ba08552c2cc582da3a648854d29a83adfd706612&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1999081034592452759"></iframe></div></div>&ldquo;Such promotional material passes through multiple layers of approval.&rdquo; Many see this as part of a broader trend where administrative decisions reflect the geopolitics of the region, with India often at the center.&nbsp;This controversy has deepened mistrust between the cricketing nations, with Pakistanis feeling sidelined in global cricket politics. Analysts point out that such issues, whether administrative or on-field, often mirror the tense political relations between the two countries.&nbsp;Amid the turmoil, the upcoming India-Pakistan clash on February 15 next year, at Colombo&rsquo;s R. Premadasa Stadium is already set to be a high-stakes fixture that will draw immense global attention.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s group-stage matches will take place in Sri Lanka due to a neutral venue agreement, ensuring the games avoid being held in India.&nbsp;With the T20 World Cup spanning eight venues in both India and Sri Lanka, the final is scheduled for March 8, 2026, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Cricket

Fans and cricket commentators slam political bias under Jay Shah’s leadership, criticizing ICC’s T20 World Cup poster for excluding Pakistan’s captain and favoring India.

ICC T20 World Cup poster sparks outrage over Pakistan exclusion

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, along with Muslim-majority countries, has reiterated its firm support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), warning that any weakening of the agency&rsquo;s operations would lead to serious humanitarian and political repercussions across the Middle East.&nbsp;In a joint statement issued late Friday by Pakistan Foreign Office, the foreign ministries of Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, T&uuml;rkiye, and the United Arab Emirates emphasized UNRWA&#39;s &quot;indispensable role&quot; in providing critical services to Palestinian refugees.&nbsp;The statement, which came amid escalating humanitarian challenges in Gaza, highlighted UNRWA&rsquo;s unique mandate, established by UN General Assembly Resolution 302 in 1949, which allows the agency to provide vital protection, education, healthcare, social services, and emergency assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees.&nbsp;The ministers also welcomed the UN General Assembly&rsquo;s recent decision to extend UNRWA&rsquo;s mandate for another three years, underlining continued international confidence in the agency&rsquo;s ability to meet the needs of refugees.&nbsp;They stressed that the agency&rsquo;s operations in Gaza are vital, particularly during the ongoing humanitarian crisis, as UNRWA&rsquo;s distribution network has been delivering food, relief supplies, and other essential aid in a fair and efficient manner in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2803.&nbsp;&ldquo;UNRWA schools and health centers remain a lifeline for Gaza&rsquo;s refugees,&rdquo; the statement noted, praising the agency&rsquo;s staff for providing essential education and healthcare services in extremely challenging conditions.&nbsp;The ministers further stated that no other entity possesses the infrastructure or expertise necessary to meet the needs of Palestinian refugees, adding that any weakening of UNRWA&rsquo;s capacity would have &ldquo;grave humanitarian, social, and political consequences across the region.&rdquo;&nbsp;The joint statement also called on the international community to ensure predictable and sustainable funding for UNRWA, urging that the agency be given the &ldquo;political and operational space&rdquo; to continue its work in all five of its mandated fields.&nbsp;Supporting UNRWA, the ministers stated, is crucial for maintaining regional stability, preserving human dignity, and upholding the rights of Palestinian refugees until a just and lasting solution is achieved in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, including General Assembly Resolution 194.&nbsp;The statement also condemned the recent Israeli forces&rsquo; storming of the UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.&nbsp;Terming the assault a &ldquo;flagrant violation of international law,&rdquo; the ministers called it an unacceptable escalation and a direct violation of the inviolability of UN premises.&nbsp;They further cited the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed that Israel, as an occupying power, is obligated to facilitate, not hinder, UNRWA&#39;s operations.&nbsp;The ministers underscored the importance of continued international support for UNRWA to ensure that it can continue its vital work for Palestinian refugees, emphasizing the agency&rsquo;s irreplaceable role in the region&rsquo;s stability and the preservation of Palestinian rights.

Pakistan and seven Muslim nations reaffirmed support for UNRWA, warning its weakened capacity would worsen Gaza’s crisis, urging sustained funding and condemning Israel’s raid on the agency’s East Jerusalem headquarters as a violation of international law

Pakistan, Muslim world urge sustained UNRWA support amid Gaza crisis

GENEVA: Former Iraqi president Barham Salih is set to become the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, according to a document seen by AFP on Friday, taking over an agency tackling swingeing budget cuts.&nbsp;Salih, 65, was president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. He will replace Filippo Grandi, who is leaving at the end of December after 10 years as the UN refugees chief.&nbsp;A moderate and veteran Kurdish politician, Salih&#39;s long political career has included several senior positions in the Iraqi government and in the country&#39;s autonomous Kurdistan region after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled longtime ruler Saddam Hussein.&nbsp;A letter from UN chief Antonio Guterres, seen by AFP, said he will propose Salih for approval by the UN General Assembly -- typically a routine procedure -- for a five-year term starting on January 1.&nbsp;He will be stepping into a firefighting role from day one.&nbsp;The Geneva-based UNHCR, like many other UN agencies, has been clobbered by drastic international aid cuts. It has shed nearly 5,000 jobs this year -- more than a quarter of its workforce.&nbsp;The UNHCR is grappling with surging global displacement, while under President Donald Trump, the United States -- traditionally the world&#39;s top donor -- has heavily slashed foreign aid, causing havoc across the globe.&nbsp;Washington previously accounted for more than 40 percent of the UNHCR&#39;s budget, and its pull-back, along with belt-tightening by other major donor countries, has left the agency facing &quot;bleak&quot; numbers, according to Grandi.&nbsp;The right to seek asylum, agreed by states in 1951, &quot;is under threat -- more now than in living memory&quot;, the agency&#39;s chief spokesman Ewan Watson told a press conference on Friday.&nbsp;&quot;At times, it can feel like fear and division are drowning out compassion.&quot;&nbsp;More than 117 million people are forcibly displaced from their homes, whether inside or outside their own borders.&nbsp;UNHCR&#39;s funding has been slashed by 35 percent this year to date, &quot;leaving millions without access to safety, food, shelter and vital protection services, let alone the means to re-start independently&quot;, said Watson.&nbsp;You are not aloneNumerous other candidates were in the running for the UNHCR job, including Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Jesper Brodin, the outgoing head of the holding company managing most of furniture giant Ikea&#39;s stores.&nbsp;Salih was a longstanding top official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the second-largest Kurdish Iraqi party.&nbsp;He was also part of an interim authority established by the United States following the 2003 invasion.&nbsp;He was one of Iraq&#39;s deputy prime ministers from 2006 to 2009, then served as the Kurdish prime minister from 2009 to 2012.&nbsp;Fluent in English, Arabic and Kurdish, Salih served for four years as Iraq&#39;s president -- a largely ceremonial office traditionally held by a Kurd since 2005.&nbsp;He is a senior fellow with the Middle East Initiative and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of Harvard University.&nbsp;Salih holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Cardiff and a doctorate in statistics and computer applications in engineering from the University of Liverpool, according to the Belfer Centre.&nbsp;UNHCR is hosting its biennial Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in Geneva from Monday to Wednesday, bringing together more than 1,800 participants to try to find solutions for millions of displaced people worldwide.&nbsp;Watson said: &quot;The promise of asylum must be kept alive -- and refugees must not be consigned to the margins. So today we send a clear message to every person forced to flee: you are not alone.&quot;

Former Iraqi president Barham Salih, is set to become UN High Commissioner for Refugees on January 1 2026 , facing global displacement crises, severe budget cuts, and over 117 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.

Former Iraqi president Salih picked as new UNHCR chief

PARIS: For US President Donald Trump, speaking after the release of an American security strategy that warned Europe was on the verge of &quot;civilisational erasure&quot;, the continent&#39;s immigration policy is a &quot;disaster&quot; that will result in many European countries no longer being &quot;viable&quot;. Speaking in a Politico interview published on Tuesday, Trump said Europe wants to be &quot;politically correct and they don&#39;t want to send them (migrants) back to where they came from&quot;, drawing a contrast with the hardline policy of his administration. Europe does keep welcoming workers, partly because ageing populations and falling birthrates are whittling away at its labour force. But Trump&#39;s broadside ignores a much more nuanced wider picture, with a tightening crackdown on illegal immigration in Europe leading to a decrease in asylum applications and irregular arrivals. The European Union&#39;s statistical agency Eurostat counted some 29 million third-country nationals as of January 1, 2024, representing 6.4 percent of the population. In 2021, this figure was 23.8 million. But countries issued eight percent fewer first residence permits last year than in 2023, according to Eurostat, suggesting a slight drop in legal arrivals. Germany, Spain, France, and Italy account for nearly 70 percent of foreign nationals living in the European Union. &quot;Part of our economy is based on immigration,&quot; Matthieu Tardis, co-director of the independent research centre Synergies Migrations, told AFP, citing France as an example where &quot;the industrial revolution was built on Italian and Polish labour&quot;. Today, in certain sectors, &quot;foreigners are overrepresented&quot; compared to their proportion of the European population, particularly in healthcare and construction, he added. Foreign doctors represent 22 percent of physicians in Germany, 18 percent in France, and 41 percent in the United Kingdom, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). - Germany sharpens policy -At the end of 2024, Eurostat recorded 1 million asylum seekers in Europe, down 11 percent compared to 2023. During 2024, some 438,000 people were granted refugee status giving them the right to stay. The number of asylum seekers has never again reached the level of the 2015 migration crisis, when hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the war arrived in Europe. At that time, 1.3 million asylum seekers were recorded. In terms of irregular immigration, nearly 200,000 arrivals were recorded on European shores in 2024, five times fewer than in 2015, according to the United Nations. Experts attribute this decrease in part to agreements reached with countries including Turkey, Libya, and Tunisia to crack down on boat departures, which have aroused criticism over human rights implications. In Germany, which hosts the most foreigners in the European Union, conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has implemented a stricter asylum policy since coming to power in May elections where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party achieved its best ever result. As of the beginning of November, the number of asylum applications in Germany had decreased by more than half compared to 2024. - Italy, Hungary and UK -Italy has already signed a controversial agreement with Albania to outsource the processing of asylum seekers intercepted at sea. But the measure is currently stalled due to multiple legal challenges in Italian courts. Since her election in 2022, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, has made combating illegal immigration one of her priorities. At the same time, the Italian government has increased the number of work visas issued (450,000 between 2023 and 2025, compared to 75,700 in 2022) in order to address labour shortages as the population ages and birth rates decline. This pattern has been repeated in Hungary under nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, where only 29 asylum seekers -- excluding those from Ukraine -- were registered in 2024. But the number of foreigners residing in the country has increased over the past 10 years, through his &quot;guest&quot; worker policy, rising from nearly 146,000 to over 255,000 expected by 2025. Outside the European Union, in the United Kingdom, net immigration plummeted by nearly 69 percent year-on-year, the Office for National Statistics reported at the end of November. This data confirms a downward trend since the peak reached in 2023, largely due to the policies of the previous Conservative government, although there has been no let up in irregular Channel crossings.

Americas

US President Donald Trump warned Europe was on the verge of "civilisational erasure", the continent's immigration policy is a "disaster" that will result in many European countries no longer being "viable"

Trump slams Europe immigration policies as EU tightens borders

Angelina Duaa Hashir

The &ldquo;perfect wife&rdquo; didn&rsquo;t disappear with the 1950s. She adapted, rebranded, and logged into TikTok. This episode of Unladylike dives into how a postwar fantasy evolved into a glossy digital persona. The image that once sold soap now sells lifestyle coaching, domestic aesthetics, affiliate links, and a highly profitable version of submission. We examine the creators pushing this narrative, the businesses benefiting from it, and the tension between tradwife imagery and what women actually want for their lives. So the next time a tradwife you follow urges you to depend on your man, stop and ask: does she?

Unladylike

The “perfect wife” didn’t stay in the 1950s. She adapted, rebranded, and built a TikTok persona that sells soft lighting, sourdough… and submission.

Former Pakistan spy chief sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment

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