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Climate finance talks face ‘hardest’ stage as COP29 nears end-game

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Countries at the COP29 climate summit were warned on Wednesday that the “hardest part” was about to start in talks over how much money should be provided to developing countries to help them cope with climate change. Figuring out what form that funding takes, who pays and how much is the main task of this year’s annual UN climate talks. With a notional Friday deadline looming, frustration over the lack of progress was starting to seep out of the negotiating rooms. Yalchin Rafiyev, the chief negotiator of the summit’s host Azerbaijan said, “Now the hardest part begins,” ahead of a fresh text which is due to be released at midnight in the capital Baku. Progress at the annual summit is typically marked through regular draft documents that get whittled down to a final deal. Wealthy and developing countries are sharply divided over the size of the new goal. It will replace a 2020 pledge by developed countries — delivered two years late — to provide $100 billion per year in climate fin
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45 anti-China activists get jail terms in Hong Jong under security law

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HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s High Court jailed 45 “pro-democracy activists” for up to 10 years on Tuesday following a national security trial that has drawn criticism from Western countries. A total of 47 activists were arrested and charged in 2021 with conspiracy to commit subversion under the security law, which carried sentences of up to life in prison. Benny Tai, a former legal scholar identified in the judgement as a “mastermind” of the activists’ plans, was sentenced to 10 years in jail, the longest sentence so far under the 2020 law. The charges related to the organising of an unofficial “primary election” in 2020 to select the best candidates for a legislative election. The activists were accused by prosecutors of plotting to paralyse the government by engaging in potentially disruptive acts had they been elected. Some Western governments have criticised the trial, with the US describing it as “politically motivated” and saying the democrats should be released as they had been
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ECC approves winter power package to spur demand

ISLAMABAD: The Eco­nomic Coordination Com­m­i­ttee (ECC) on Tuesday formally approved subsidy-neutral discounted electricity rates for incremental consumption during the winter months (December to February) to stimulate power usage amid high tariffs and economic downturn. The initiative — which applies to residential, commercial and industrial consumers — is expected to increase consumption by up to 16 per cent while ensuring compliance with International Monetary Fund (IMF) requirements. The ECC meeting, cha­ired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, also approved the transfer of Rs3.14 billion from the erstwhile Emergency Relief Cell (ERC) to the National Disaster Manag­ement Authority (NDMA) to carry out its inland and overseas rescue and relief operations. The decision was taken on the premise that since the balances in the ERC were made up of public do­­n­ations and were gra­nted for relief, rescue and rehabilitation of floods and ear­thquake victims, the NDMA would spend
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Pakistan suggests world moot on Afghan refugees

Pakistan on Tuesday suggested an international multilateral stakeholders’ conference aimed at addressing the challenges related to the voluntary repatriation and third-country resettlement of Afghan refugees. The idea was floated by Muhammad Abbas Khan, chief commissioner for Afghan refugees (CCAR) at the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), at an Islamabad seminar. He said the main objective of the conference should be to encourage Western countries to increase their quotas and expedite the process for admitting Afghan applicants into their countries from Pakistan. The CCAR was speaking at a seminar titled “Challenges and Opportunities in Repatriation and Resettlement of Afghan Refugees” organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS). The commissioner underscored the importance of international burden-sharing, urging global stakeholders to enhance resettlement opportunities for Afghan citizens on Pakistani soil. He shared that there were around 600,000 Afghan r
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Foreign investment falls 20pc in Oct

KARACHI: Attracting sizeable foreign investment has always been a dream of successive governments. However, the situation has mostly stayed the same as inflows remained unimpressive despite significant growth in percentage terms. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday reported that the foreign direct investment (FDI) rose 32 per cent to $904 million during July-October FY25 compared to $683m in the same period last year. The FDI volume is insignificant for experts. However, the inflows in October plunged almost 20pc year-on-year to $132m, indicating the country’s economic conditions are not good enough to attract foreign investors. The volume of inflows through FDI remained disappointing for the government, which has been striving to woo investors by offering several incentives. The situation looks more bleak when it is found that China contributed $414.5m or 46 per cent of the total FDI inflows during the period under review. Other significant inflows were $99.7m from Hong Ko
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Gunmen kidnap seven cops in Bannu

LAKKI MARWAT: Unknown armed men kidnapped over half a dozen policemen from the Rocha Check Post on Monday night, in the Wazir subdivision of Bannu district. District Police Officer Ziauddin Ahmad confirmed that seven cops were abducted from the check post. An official told Dawn that armed militants forcibly entered the check post after surrounding it, and took the cops deployed there hostage at gunpoint. “They also snatched official rifles from the policemen,” the official said. Following the incident, a large police contingent reached the area and launched a search operation for the recovery of the kidnapped officials in the remote and mountainous terrain. The Rocha Check Post is located on the border with North Waziristan, in the limits of Otmanzai police station, in Bannu district. Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2024 from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/eI5zGnu
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Lahore ATC indicts PTI’s Shah Mehmood, Ejaz Chaudhry, Yasmin Rashid among 21 in May 9 cases

Senior PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Ejaz Chaudhry, Dr Yasmin Rashid and Umar Sarfraz Cheema were among 21 formally indicted by a Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday in cases related to the countrywide riots on May 9, 2023, registered at the Racecourse and Sarwar Road police stations. Nationwide protests erupted last year after the arrest of PTI founder and former premier Imran Khan in a corruption case. The state then launched a severe crackdown on his party, rounding up thousands of PTI workers and almost the entire top-tier leadership, with many still facing court proceedings under serious charges. In December 2023, police implicated Qureshi in at least 12 different cases registered by the district police in connection with the May 9 violence. Dr Rashid was arrested in May 2023, just hours after the Lahore High Court had ordered her release along with 17 other women workers of the party detained under the Maintenance of Public Order. Chaudhry was also re-arrested in Ma
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