AMID CLAIMS OF ‘DIRTY BOMB’, PUTIN SURVEYS NUCLEAR DRILLS

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday surveyed drills carried out by his nuclear-capable forces as Moscow pressed unfounded claims to India and China that Ukraine was developing a “dirty bomb.”

The drills are the latest in a series of escalatory comments from Moscow and Mr. Putin, who observed the drills from a control room, that the eight-month conflict in Ukraine could turn nuclear.

“Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, a training session was held with ground, sea and air strategic deterrence forces, during which practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles took place,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russian state-run media ran footage of a submarine crew preparing the launch of a Sineva ballistic missile from the Barents Sea in the Arctic.

The drills also included launching test missiles from the Kamchatka peninsula in the Russian Far East.

Footage of the drills across state media came after Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu pressed ahead with telephone calls to his counterparts globally, claiming that Ukraine was developing a “dirty bomb”.

SUNAK BRAVES FIRST VOLLEYS FROM OPPOSITION

A combative Rishi Sunak, the newly appointed Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, on Wednesday strongly defended the reappointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary, days after she was forced to resign over a breach of govt ethics rules.

Braverman, 42, resigned from the cabinet of former prime minister Liz Truss last week, having breached the ministerial code by sending secure information from her private email.

On his first full day as Prime Minister, Sunak met his new cabinet on Wednesday before facing opposition leader Keir Starmer in Prime Minister Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons.

Labour Party leader Starmer initially welcomed Sunak -- the first Indian-origin British prime minister -- saying that it's a reminder that 'Britain is a place where people of all races and beliefs can fulfil their dreams'.

Then Starmer asked Sunak: "Was the home secretary right to resign last week for a breach of security?" He noted that Sunak has promised to govern with 'integrity, professionalism and accountability', but points out that he has put in charge of the Home Office a woman forced to leave her job just a week ago.

Sunak responded by thanking Starmer for his kind and generous welcome, adding that he knows they will no doubt have 'robust exchanges'. On the issue of the re-appointment of Braverman as home secretary, Sunak said she made 'an error of judgment', but she had recognised that. He said that he is delighted to welcome her back into a 'united' cabinet that brings 'experience and stability to the heart of govt'.

Countering the Labour leader, Sunak said Braverman will be focused on 'cracking down on criminals' and 'defending borders', while the party in opposition (Labour) remains 'soft on crime' and in favour of 'unlimited immigration'.

Labour MP Richard Burgon said, “A nurse would have to work over 20,000 years in order to match the vast wealth of this prime minister” and suggested he introduce wealth taxes instead of austerity.

Sunak appeared unfazed by this attack on his wealth and said there had been pay increases for nurses and that he would approach difficult decisions with fairness and compassion.

BIDEN WARNS RUSSIA AGAINST NUCLEAR ATTACK AMID ALARM

President Biden renewed his warning to President Vladimir Putin that it would be an “incredibly serious mistake” to use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, reflecting the increasingly urgent concern in Washington and among Western allies that Russia may be searching for a pretext to unleash such a weapon.

Biden said on Tuesday that he was still uncertain if Russia was trying to put together a “false flag operation” in which it would detonate a dirty bomb and blame the Ukrainians. A dirty bomb is not a nuclear weapon, but an improvised device that uses conventional explosives to spread radioactive material.

But it was clear from Biden’s comments that he is far less concerned about a dirty bomb than about the possibility that a set of incidents could result in Russia detonating a battlefield nuclear weapon, the first to be used in a conflict since US dropped atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. “Let me just say: Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake for it to use a tactical nuclear weapon,” Biden said in response to a reporter’s question about whether Russia was preparing a dirty bomb. “I’m not guaranteeing you that it’s a false flag operation yet, don’t know, but it would be a serious, serious mistake. ” Biden’s comments, and an exchange of accusations between Russia and Ukraine, were the latest demonstration of how high tensions are running in the region.

SUNAK DELAYS FISCAL STATEMENT TO NOV 17

PM Rishi Sunak on Wednesday delayed the announcement of a keenly awaited plan for repairing the country’s public finances until November 17, two-anda-half weeks later than previously planned. The postponement briefly raised British borrowing costs in financial markets but there was no repeat of the panic bond selling caused by September tax-cutting plan. Finance minister Jeremy Hunt said more time was needed to ensure the new plan took into account new economic forecasts. It is expected to set out how the government will plug a budget shortfall of as much as £40 billion.

PAK REMOVES ISI MEMBER FROM TEAM TO PROBE JOURNO KILLING IN KENYA

Islamabad : The Pakistan government on Wednesday removed an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) official from a team formed to probe the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya on Sunday. The government did not give the reason for the move. Thecommittee, now consisting of officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), will submit its findings to theinterior ministry.

Earlier, PMShehbaz Sharif had formed the committee, that was mandated to travel to Kenya and probe the journalist’s death. Arshad, 49, was a critic of the Shehbaz-led incumbent coalition government and the country’s military establishment. As per Kenyan authorities, he was shot when his car was targeted by police after it failed to stop at a checkpoint on the Nairobi-Magadi highway.

IMRAN PLANS ‘FREEDOM’ MARCH TO CALL FOR POLLS

Islamabad : Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan announced Wednesday that his party would embark on a “haqeeqi azadi (real freedom)” march from Lahore’s Liberty Square to Islamabad starting Friday, vowing to mobilise “the biggest sea of people” the country has seen in a bid to pressure the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government into calling early elections. The long march through the landmark Grand Trunk Road leading to the capital city will enter its destination on November 4.

“I am marching as part of the greatest freedom struggle in the history of Pakistan,” said Imran, who was barred from holding public office in a controversial ruling by the country’s Election Commission last week. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Asad Umar, a former minister, said Imranand his supporters would cover nearly 400km in a week.

Former PM and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif alleged that the proposed march was meant to create a situation where the next army chief would be of Imran’s choosing rather than any noble goal.

“The people saw what revolution he brought about during his fouryear term as PM,” Sharif said. “The PTI chief proved to be the biggest thief in history, with irrefutable evidence. ” The government has already ordered that all important roads in Islamabad and locations with shipping containers be sealed as part of steps to counter the march. Islamabad police said a total of 13,086 officers, including two of DIG rank, four SSPs and 11 SPs, would oversee security along the march route. Around 8,000 paramilitary personnel and 1,022 policemen from Sindh province will be deployed.

15 DEAD AFTER ATTACK ON SHIA SHRINE IN IRAN

Gunmen attacked a major Shia holy site in Iran on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens. The attack came as protesters elsewhere in Iran marked a symbolic 40 days since a woman’s death in custody ignited the biggest anti-government movement in over a decade. State TV blamed the attack on “takfiris,” a term that refers to Sunni Muslim extremists who have targeted the country’s Shia majority in the past. The attack appeared to be unrelated to the protests. The official website of the judiciary said two gunmen were arrested and a third is on the run after the attack on the Shah Cheragh mosque, the second holiest site in Iran. The state-run IRNA news agency reported the death toll and state TV said 40 people were wounded. An Iranian news site considered to be close to the Supreme National Security Council reported the attackers were foreign nationals, without elaborating.

COUNTRIES FAR OFF TRACK FROM THEIR CLIMATE VOWS, SAYS UN

International climate pledges remain far off track to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to a UN report released on Wednesday, less than two weeks ahead of high-stakes negotiations to tackle global warming.

With the planet already battered by climate-enhanced heatwaves, storms and floods after just 1.2 degrees Celsius of warming, experts say the world is still failing to act with sufficient urgency.

When nations met in Glasgow last year for a previous round of climate negotiations, they agreed to speed up their climate pledges to cut carbon pollution this decade and increase financial flows to developing nations. But only 24 countries, of 193, had updated their plans at the time of the report.

GERMANY TO LEGALISE CANNABIS USE FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES

Berlin : Germany on Wednesday set out plans to legalise cannabis, in a move promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government that would make it one of the first countries in Europe to make weed legal. Health minister Karl Lauterbach presented a cornerstone paper on planned legislation to regulate the controlled distribution and consumption of cannabis for recreational purposes among adults. Acquiring and possessing up to 20 to 30grams of recreational cannabis for personal consumption would also bemade legal.

The coalition government struck an agreement last year to introduce legislation during its four-year term to allow the controlled distribution of cannabis in licensed shops. Lauterbach did not give a timeline for the plan, which would make Germany the second EU country to legalise cannabis after Malta.