A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MEP (Member of the European Parliament), who has just returned
from a trip to Kashmir, appears to have rejected negative portrayal of the policies of India’s
prime minister Narendra Modi.
Bill Newton Dunn, who represents the East Midlands, told the BBC’s Today programme that having spoken to a number of people, he had concluded that the “general feeling was Delhi is trying to help Kashmir”.
At one point, the programme’s presenter Mishal Husain expressed her exasperation with Newton Dunn that he had gone to Kashmir with 22 other MEPs on a trip where they had to be escorted by the Indian Army.
“It seems as though you don’t have much of a problem with the restrictions under which this visit took place?” she said.
“Well, I think I understand them,” he responded.
“When there is killing and tensions and civil unrest, I think Modi, the prime minister in Delhi, and the army are trying to calm things down. So, the shops are now open, the internet is open, the telephones are open, things are easing off and getting better.
But there is still a long way to go.”
Last Friday (1), Husain had interviewed Iltija Mufti, daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief minister of Kashmir who is currently under detention. Mufti said that Modi’s govern
ment “has lost all moral authority”.
“My mother is extremely distressed about the unilateral and illegal decision that the gover-nment of India has imposed on the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” said Mufti. “And she thinks it’s terribly unfair that our rights, our wishes, our consent has been violated and it is something that the entire country is gloating about and getting some sort of sadistic
pleasure, I would say.”
The government’s point of view was put forward by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Nalin Kohli, who was asked for “the justification for keeping Kashmir
in a state of partial lockdown”.
Kohli responded: “Life has started coming back to normalcy. Telephones lines in terms of landlines were first restored.
“Internet services are still to be reviewed in terms of whether it should be permitted or not immediately, because we know that terrorists tend to use those networks through the internet and social media which obviously the state has a responsibility to protect the
lives of its citizens.
“With regard to political leaders the vast majority of people who were taken in preventive custody, they have been released since then. Now it would be down to maybe 200 or 300 as compared to over 1,000 in August.”
Newton Dunn appeared on the programme last Sunday (3) when he was reminded by Husain: “Another MEP Chris Davies (who presents NorthWest England), who was initially due to go on this trip, said his invitation was rescinded after he sought unfettered access
to go anywhere and speak to anyone he wanted.”
Newton Dunn made it clear he saw the Kashmir situation rather differently: “Well, the trouble with Chris ... I know him well, he is my pal …but you can’t do that in such
a tense area. The very night we were there six young Bangladeshi workers were lined up and shot. So security is still very tense. Of course, it would be nice to talk to everybody but you can’t do that.”
He was lyrical in describing the beauty of Kashmir: “Well, [it is] a beautiful country. It’s a little bit like Switzerland in the Himalayas: wonderful scenery, trees, lakes but a very troubled difficult thing and a real hotspot.
“What I hadn’t realised before was Kashmir is partly occupied by China, partly by India and partly by Pakistan. So three major countries all competing for this beautiful lush place where the soil is rich. So a lot of tension – a potential world trouble spot.”
He talked of one meeting that the MEPs had in Kashmir: “We were surrounded by security, vast numbers of soldiers protecting us, but I think also keeping order in the street, so that restricted us a bit. But the shops were open part of the time, and we had one very good session in the grounds of a big hotel when civic society were invited to come and meet us.
“And about 200 shopkeepers, teachers, lawyers, businessmen, all sorts of people (came)…we could talk to whoever we liked… it was very much in the open air and there was nobody listening with microphones… I think they were real people.”
Newton Dunn added: “The teachers said they got very excited about their school, they were telling me (about) the kids.
“One businessman said ‘the real problem is Delhi is trying to help us but there is a vast amount of corruption and the money from Delhi doesn’t reach us. It goes off into sticky hands somewhere.’
“But I think the general feeling was Delhi is trying to help Kashmir. It’s had a very hard time for 60, 70 years. [People said] ‘They [Dehi] want to make things better. But we are waiting to see will it actually work or not.’”
Asked by Husain whether the MEPs had asked to talk to opposition leaders in detention, such as two former chief ministers of Jammu & Kashmir, Newton Dunn said they had. But “the general in charge of the army whom we met said, ‘I am not going to allow it,’ so
there was no possibility to argue with him. I would love to go back, but it’s not possible. We were lucky to even get there – we were the first parliamentarians. We were there for just 24 hours. It was something but not nearly enough.”
This point was reiterated by Newton Dunn when he spoke to Eastern Eye: “We didn’t get to talk to many ordinary people because we were surrounded by the army. I asked the general, ‘Is it necessary?’ and he said, ‘Yes, if we lose one of you that would be a major
incident. We don’t want to do that. So we are taking every precaution.’”
However, he said of the meeting with the 200 civic members of society: “I got a feeling that they were optimistic and hopeful that the change that Modi had made might make life better for them.”
The MEPs had a meeting with the Indian prime minister in Delhi, which Newton Dunn said had gone “very nicely”.
“He was very proud that after his first term, he had been reelected. He said proudly that 600 million people had voted which one cannot but be impressed by. More women than ever before (had voted), more women MPs than ever before (had been elected). He said, ‘My ambition for the next five years is a roof for every Indian, electricity for every Indian
and clean drinking water for every Indian.’ And these are very good goals. He is trying hard, I think.
“But, of course, he has got a lot of opposition. It’s very difficult when you have a state of emergency since August, where a lot of people in Kashmir have been locked up or prevented from carrying out their normal business. It’s very difficult for him but having started, I hope he succeeds in finishing.”
Newton Dunn denied he was doing propaganda for Modi: “I am a seeker after truth.”
PAKISTAN’S army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday (7) rejected Delhi’s allegation that his military received active support from longtime ally China in its conflict with India in May.
The Indian Army’s deputy chief, Lieutenant General Rahul Singh, said last week that China gave Islamabad “live inputs” on key Indian positions.
Singh did not elaborate on how India knew about the live inputs from China.
Regarding the possibility of China providing satellite imagery or other real-time intelligence, India’s chief of defence staff had said such imagery was commercially available and could have been procured from China or elsewhere.
The “insinuations regarding external support” are “irresponsible and factually incorrect”, Munir said in an address to graduating officers of the national security and war course in Islamabad, according to an army statement.
Pakistani officials have previously dismissed allegations of receiving active support from China in the conflict.
Beijing and Islamabad have longstanding close relations, with billions of dollars of Chinese investment in the country’s energy and infrastructure.
India’s relationship with China meanwhile was strained after a 2020 border clash that sparked a four-year military standoff, but tensions began to ease after the countries reached a pact to step back in October.
India and Pakistan used missiles, drones and artillery fire during the four days of fighting in May – their worst in decades – triggered by an attack in April on tourists in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, before agreeing to a ceasefire.
Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack in April.
Singh also added that Turkey provided key support to Pakistan during the fighting, equipping it with Bayraktar and “numerous other” drones, as well as “trained individuals”.
Ankara has strong ties with Islamabad, and had expressed solidarity with it during the clash, prompting Indians to boycott everything from Turkish coffee to holidays in the country.
Turkey’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the allegations.
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Christine Kangaloo awards Narendra Modi with the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago last Friday (4)
INDIA’S prime minister, Narendra Modi met Argentine president Javier Milei in Buenos Aires last Saturday (5), urging the expansion of New Delhi’s preferential trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc.
The bilateral talks with Milei were the latest in Modi’s whistle-stop diplomatic tour culminating in the summit of Brics emerging economies which began last Sunday (6) in Brazil.
Diplomats from both countries at the meeting, which included a lunch, decided to “deepen bilateral relations and commercial ties,” according to a statement from the Argentine presidency.
John Dramani Mahama welcomes Modi on his arrival in Accra last Wednesday (2)
India’s foreign ministry diplomat, Periasamy Kumaran, told reporters Modi “requested Argentina’s support in expanding the India-Mercosur preferential trade agreement.” The Mercosur regional trade bloc, comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, is seeking closer ties with Asian economies in the face of Trump’s global trade war.
“The two leaders discussed the necessity of diversifying and expanding bilateral trade” in sectors including defence, technology and health, said Kumaran.
They also touched upon cooperation in the energy sector, including gas and petrol, as well as lithium, a key mineral for the clean energy transition. Argentina is the world’s fifth largest producer of lithium, according to the US Geological Survey.
“Excellent meeting with president Javier Milei of Argentina,” Modi wrote on X of the leaders’ second bilateral talks.
“We have covered significant ground in our bilateral relations, but we agree that the journey ahead is even more promising!”
Modi last week visited Trinidad and Tobago which last Friday (4) bestowed its highest honour as the Indian prime minister seeks to strengthen New Delhi’s ties with the Caribbean and Latin America.
More than a third of the population in the country is of Indian descent.
President Christine Carla Kangaloo gave him the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago at a ceremony at president’s House in St Ann’s, just outside the capital Port of Spain – the first time a foreign leader was so honoured.
“This honour is a symbol of the deep and eternal friendship between our two countries,” Modi said, according to an official translation. Relations between India and Trinidad and Tobago date back to 1845, when indentured Indian labourers first arrived to work on sugar and cocoa plantations under British colonial rule, following the end of slavery.
Between 1845 and 1917, more than 140,000 labourers settled in the Caribbean nation. The Indian community is now the country’s largest ethnic group, at 35.4 per cent of the population of 1.4 million.
Modi described Kangaloo and prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar “the biggest brand ambassadors of this community.” “India and Trinidad & Tobago rose from the shadows of colonial rule to write our destiny of progress. Our nations stand tall as proud democracies and pillars of strength in the modern world,” Modi wrote on X.
“It’s high time we all work together to give the Global South its rightful seat at the high table.”
Modi last Thursday (3) visited Ghana, in a first by an Indian leader in three decades.
He outlined plans for deeper ties between India and Africa, as New Delhi increasingly vies for a stronger economic presence on the continent along with China and Russia.
South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Modi and China’s premier Li Qiang at the Brics summit last Sunday (6)
In a speech to Ghana’s parliament, Modi highlighted a major rail project that opened in the west African nation last year, financed by the India Export-Import Bank.
He also underlined his country’s expanding diplomatic development and business footprint in Africa.
“Over 200 projects across the continent enhance connectivity, infrastructure and Industrial capacity,” Modi said. On the political front he welcomed “the establishment of Ghana-India Parliamentary Friendship Society in your parliament”.
In a meeting last Wednesday (2), Modi and Ghanaian president John Mahama agreed to deepen security and mining ties.
The Indian prime minister also last Thursday called for a greater global diplomatic role for both his country and Africa, warning that “the world order created after the Second World War is changing fast”.
A FRESH parliamentary initiative to establish a dedicated Sikh regiment within the British Army has gained momentum in the House of Lords, with defence minister Lord Coaker expressing willingness to engage in further discussions about the long-debated proposal.
The issue was raised in the House of Lords on Monday (7) by Labour peer Lord Sahota, who asked whether there had been any progress on long-standing calls for a Sikh regiment.
"Given the loyalty of Sikh soldiers in both world wars, there has been talk of having a Sikh regiment in the British Army for a number of years," Lord Sahota said.
Minister of state at Ministry of Defence, Lord Coaker, responded positively, saying he was "quite happy to meet him to see what more we can do to recognise the contribution of soldiers such as Sikhs, and those of many other faiths as well."
He also referenced the upcoming VJ Day commemorations on August 15, noting it would be an appropriate time to reflect on wartime sacrifices, particularly those of Sikhs worldwide.
While no firm commitment was made to establish a regiment, the exchange represents the most encouraging governmental response to the proposal in recent years.
Sikhs have served in the British Army since the mid-1800s and became renowned for their martial traditions. During the First World War, over 100,000 Sikhs served in France, East Africa, and Gallipoli.
Despite being less than two per cent of British India's population, they comprised roughly 20 per cent of the Indian contingent. In the Second World War, more than 300,000 Sikhs participated in campaigns across North Africa, Italy, and Southeast Asia.
The proposal for a British Sikh regiment has been raised repeatedly in Parliament. In 2007, plans were dropped after the Commission for Racial Equality expressed concerns about potential segregation.
The debate was revived in 2015 when former defence secretary Nicholas Soames urged the government to overcome "political correctness" and honour Sikh military service.
Sikh community leaders have consistently argued they could easily recruit enough volunteers for a regiment, pointing to precedents such as the Scots, Welsh, and Irish Guards, and the Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Currently, around 160 Sikhs serve in the British Army. The Defence Sikh Network continues to celebrate Sikh military traditions and encourage recruitment from the community.
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Heat can also damage everyday items like sunglasses, suncream and vape devices
Experts urge motorists to avoid leaving certain items in vehicles during upcoming heatwave
Temperatures expected to rise above 30°C across large parts of the UK
Contraceptives and common medications can lose effectiveness in high heat
Heat can also damage everyday items like sunglasses, suncream and vape devices
Drivers urged to act as UK braces for extended heatwave
Drivers across the UK are being urged to remove a range of everyday items from their cars ahead of a predicted heatwave, with experts warning that the rising temperatures could pose both safety and health risks.
The Met Office has forecast a prolonged spell of hot weather, with temperatures expected to soar into the low 30s on Thursday and Friday. Much of the UK is likely to hit its regional heatwave threshold by the weekend, with this episode potentially affecting a wider area and lasting longer than previous hot spells.
While motorists are often aware of the dangers of leaving items like electronics or water bottles in hot vehicles, motoring specialists have highlighted a less commonly known risk — heat damage to contraception and medication.
Heat can reduce effectiveness of contraceptives
Experts from car dealership group Dick Lovett have warned that items such as birth control pills and condoms should not be left inside cars during hot weather. The interior of a vehicle can act like a greenhouse, with temperatures increasing by up to 50% in just an hour, even when the car is parked in the shade.
Most hormonal contraceptives, including the pill, need to be stored at temperatures between 20-25°C to remain effective. Exposure to extreme heat can degrade the active ingredients, reducing their ability to prevent pregnancy.
Similarly, condoms can be weakened by high temperatures, as heat may damage the latex or cause it to dry out, increasing the risk of breakage during use.
Drivers who store spare contraceptives in their glove box or handbag for emergencies are advised to remove them during heatwaves and follow the storage guidelines provided on the packaging.
Medicines and other everyday items also at risk
Alongside contraceptives, many commonly used medicines are also vulnerable to heat damage. Items such as inhalers, insulin, antibiotics, and other prescription medications can lose potency if stored in high temperatures for too long.
To prevent any potential health complications, drivers should remove all medication from their vehicles during hot weather and keep them in cool, temperature-controlled environments.
Other items to avoid leaving in cars during a heatwave include:
Suncream (can degrade or leak)
Vape devices (pose fire risk)
Sunglasses (can warp or become brittle)
Fizzy drinks (risk of explosion or container damage)
By taking a few simple precautions, motorists can reduce health and safety risks and avoid damage to personal belongings during the UK’s latest summer heatwave.
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The Royal Mail logo is seen on the side of a van as the UK government clear a 3.57 billion pound takeover offer by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky in London, December 16, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
MEDIA regulator Ofcom has set new minimum delivery standards for Royal Mail and revised existing targets in an effort to reduce delays. It also announced a review into pricing and affordability, amid concerns over rising stamp prices.
Royal Mail, which has faced fines of around $20 million over the past two years for not meeting delivery targets, is currently trying to modernise operations and focus more on parcel deliveries.
“Urgent reform is needed for the universal service to survive,” Ofcom said in a statement. The regulator said the revised delivery goals could help Royal Mail save up to £425 million ($578.3 million).
Under the new rules, Royal Mail must ensure that 99 per cent of mail is delivered no more than two days late. Ofcom has also adjusted the targets for next-day and three-day deliveries. The target for First Class mail will now be 90 per cent delivered the next day, down from 93 per cent. For Second Class mail, the target has been lowered from 98.5 per cent to 95 per cent within three days.
From July 28, Royal Mail will be permitted to deliver Second Class letters on alternate weekdays, while still aiming to meet the three-working-day delivery target, Ofcom said.
“Our research suggests that affordability and reliability are more important to people than speed of delivery, but they value having a next-day service available for when they need to send the occasional urgent item,” the regulator said.
Ofcom said it would launch a consultation on its pricing and affordability review next year.
In response to the announcement, Martin Seidenberg, Group CEO of Royal Mail’s parent company International Distribution Services, said the company welcomed the new measures.
“It is good news for customers across the UK as it supports the delivery of a reliable, efficient and financially sustainable universal service,” he said in a statement.