Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday lauded the efforts of the federal government&rsquo;s Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Negotiation Committee, reaffirming his government&rsquo;s commitment to peacefully addressing the concerns and rights of the Kashmiri people.&nbsp;During a meeting in Islamabad, the prime minister said that most issues in Kashmir had been &ldquo;amicably resolved&rdquo; and assured that remaining grievances would be handled with priority.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have always been protectors of our Kashmiri brothers and sisters&rsquo; rights and will continue to safeguard them in the future,&rdquo; PM Sharif said.&nbsp;The meeting came days after a shutdown in Muzaffarabad, where the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) presented a 34-point charter of demands to the government.&nbsp;Officials said that nearly 90% of the demands were accepted, except for two, reducing the number of ministers and abolishing migrant seats, which require constitutional amendments.&nbsp;The AJK Negotiation Committee continues to facilitate dialogue aimed at resolving longstanding disputes and improving socio-economic conditions in the region.&nbsp;They said the government remains committed to supporting all initiatives that promote peace, stability, and development in Kashmir, a central issue in Pakistan&rsquo;s national and foreign policy.

Politics

The AJK Negotiation Committee briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on progress toward resolving local disputes, with the government accepting most public demands and reaffirming its commitment to peace, development, and protection of Kashmiri rights.

Pakistan PM lauds Azad Kashmir committee’s progress, vows to protect rights

Reuters

PARIS: Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists and hospital staff went on strike Thursday, and teenagers blocked entrances to high schools across France in nationwide protests against planned budget cuts. Unions called for scrapping the previous government&rsquo;s fiscal plans, more spending on public services, higher taxes on the wealthy and a reversal of a change that makes people work longer to receive a pension. The walkouts disrupted transit and classes in major cities, including Paris. In the capital, many metro lines were set to be suspended for much of the day except during rush hours, officials said. Students gathered to block some school entrances. &ldquo;Block your high school against austerity,&rdquo; read a sign at the Lyc&eacute;e Maurice Ravel, where teachers and labor representatives joined the crowd. &ldquo;Workers are currently so despised by this government and by President Emmanuel Macron that it can&rsquo;t continue like this,&rdquo; bus driver and CGT union representative Fred said outside the school. &ldquo;I am here to defend public services,&rdquo; said Gaetan Legay, a 33-year-old teacher, adding that public money should go &ldquo;back into public services ... rather than to large companies or as tax gifts to the ultra-rich.&rdquo; Macron and newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu face pressure from parliament over likely budget cuts and from investors concerned about the deficit in the eurozone&rsquo;s second-largest economy. Workers angry over fiscal plans An Interior Ministry source said as many as 800,000 people were expected to take part in strikes and protests. &ldquo;The workers we represent are angry,&rdquo; major unions said in a joint statement rejecting the previous government&rsquo;s &ldquo;brutal&rdquo; and &ldquo;unfair&rdquo; fiscal plans. France&rsquo;s budget deficit last year was close to double the European Union&rsquo;s 3% ceiling. Even as he seeks to reduce it, Lecornu&mdash;who must rely on other parties to pass legislation&mdash;faces a difficult path to assemble support for a 2026 budget. His predecessor, Francois Bayrou, was ousted by parliament last week over a plan to cut 44 billion euros. Lecornu has not said whether he will keep that plan but has signaled a willingness to compromise. Protests hit schools, trains The FSU-SNUipp union said one in three primary school teachers were on strike nationwide, and nearly one in two in Paris. Regional trains were heavily affected, though most high-speed lines operated, officials said. Protesters briefly slowed traffic on a highway near Toulon. Nuclear output at utility EDF was slightly lower, down 1.1 gigawatts early Thursday, company data showed, as workers reduced power at the Flamanville 1 reactor. Pharmacists protested changes affecting their business, and the USPO pharmacists&rsquo; union said a survey of members found 98% could close for the day. The farmers&rsquo; union Confederation Paysanne also called for mobilization. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said police removed several blockades, including at bus depots in the Paris region, and warned that up to 8,000 violent agitators could try to clash with police. Authorities planned to deploy about 80,000 police and gendarmes, with riot units, drones and armored vehicles available. More than 20 people had been arrested, police said. Plans to move the 70-meter-long Bayeux tapestry, whose stitching depicts the 1066 Norman invasion, were delayed because of the strike, the local prefecture said. The tapestry is set to be loaned to Britain.

Europe

French unions stage mass strikes and school blockades, protesting austerity, pension reforms, and cuts in 2026 budget.

Strikes across France as workers march against austerity plan

Romesa Umar

ISLAMABAD: At least 14 people were killed and dozens injured in Kathmandu on Monday after police opened fire on protesters storming Nepal&rsquo;s Federal Parliament in response to a controversial social media ban, Reuters reported.The unrest broke out outside the parliament building, where thousands of mostly young demonstrators had gathered. Witnesses said police fired live rounds, rubber bullets, and tear gas after some protesters breached barricades, set fire to an ambulance, and attempted to enter the compound.Others hurled stones at security forces and transported the wounded away on motorcycles.The protests were sparked by the government&rsquo;s decision to block major social media platforms that failed to meet new regulatory requirements. Under the new policy, platforms were ordered to register with Nepal&rsquo;s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, open local offices, and appoint official representatives by a September 3 deadline.Platforms that complied and those blockedOfficials said apps like TikTok, Viber, and WeTalk complied with the rules. However, Meta-owned Messenger and others were blocked.A government official told Reuters that the restrictions aim to curb fake accounts and rising cybercrime, which authorities claim threaten national unity.Popularity of Social Media ApplicationsThe ban has hit Nepal&rsquo;s diaspora community especially hard. Roughly 7.5% of Nepal&rsquo;s population lives abroad and relies on messaging apps to stay in touch with family.According to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority&rsquo;s 2021 report, over 90% of the country&rsquo;s 30 million people use the internet. Many have already shifted to platforms like Viber to maintain communication.&ldquo;The new generation in Nepal&rdquo;Protesters argue that the ban restricts free expression and blocks critical communication tools. Chants like &ldquo;Shut down corruption, not social media,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Youth against corruption,&rdquo; echoed through the crowd, reflecting wider dissatisfaction with government transparency and governance.The situation escalated rapidly, merging frustrations over corruption, censorship, and what many see as an authoritarian overreach into digital life.While the government has not declared a state of emergency, officials have warned of stricter crackdowns if the violence continues.The incident marks one of the deadliest outbreaks of civil unrest in Nepal in recent years and underscores a growing clash between the state&rsquo;s push for digital regulation and the demands of a young, connected population seeking free access to global platforms.

Asia

At least 14 killed in Kathmandu as protests against Nepal’s ban on 26 social media platforms escalate into violent clashes with police.

Articles tagged with "Protest"

Pakistan PM lauds Azad Kashmir committee’s progress, vows to protect rights

Strikes across France as workers march against austerity plan

14 killed as Nepal protests erupt over social media ban