PAKISTANI PM NAMES EX-SPY MASTER ASIM MUNIR TO BE NEW ARMY CHIEF

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has named the country’s former spy chief as head of the military, the Information Minister said on Thursday, ending months of speculation about the new appointment.

Lt Gen Munir is believed to have approved the plans for 2019 Pulwama terror attack, although he was no longer the DG, ISI, when the attack was carried out.

Huge influence

The Army has historically wielded huge political influence in Pakistan, ruling it for half of its 75-year history, and also oversees the country’s nuclear programme. Like neighbouring China and India, Pakistan has nuclear arsenals and a missile system, which is mainly aimed at India.

Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir replaces Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, who completes his six-year extended term on November 29. Gen. Munir begins his new role amid bitter feuding between Mr. Sharif and former Premier Imran Khan. Mr. Khan has publicly accused Gen. Bajwa of playing a role in his ouster, a charge the outgoing Army chief has denied.

Imran’s demands

Mr. Khan wants snap elections and for Mr. Sharif to step down. Mr. Sharif, who replaced Mr. Khan through a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April, has rejected the demand, saying the next polls will be held as scheduled in 2023.

There was no immediate comment from Mr. Khan about Gen. Munir, who was director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence when Mr. Khan was in office. Mr. Khan fired Gen. Munir without explanation. On Thursday, Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif told reporters that Gen. Munir’s nomination as the Army chief was “based on merit, law and according to the constitution.” He said he hoped that President Arif Alvi would not make the key appointments “controversial” and would endorse Mr. Sharif’s decision without any delay.

Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said PM Sharif had named Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee to replace Gen. Nadeem Raza, who retires this week.

PANIC BUYING IN BEIJING AS COVID SURGE SPURS CREEPING RESTRICTIONS

Beijing’s streets are emptying and grocery delivery services are running out of capacity as rising Covid cases trigger lockdown-like restrictions across swathes of the Chinese capital.

The city saw 1,854 new infections Thursday, up from 1,611 on Wednesday, as China’s wider outbreak reaches record levels. While food was plentiful in many stores, delivery apps like Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Freshippo -- known as Hema in Chinese -- and Walmart Inc.’s Sam’s Club were overwhelmed as residents hunkered down. Grocery outlets in Chaoyang, Beijing’s biggest district, no longer took delivery orders. Many restaurants halted even takeaway service.

The surge, which has escalated from fewer than 100 infections a day a fortnight ago, is leading to stepped-up controls in the city of 22 million. Almost every district is seeing targeted lock downs, sweeping from one apartment block to the next, and residents have been asked not to leave Beijing unless necessary.

Yet the restrictions are rolling out quietly as officials communicate through neighborhood committees and WeChat groups rather than with sweeping, formal orders. The subdued approach follow the introduction of a 20-point virus playbook two weeks ago for containing Covid that advised against city-wide lockdowns and mass testing exercises. Adhering to the changes laid out by the country’s top leaders has proven difficult in some areas amid surging cases.

Schools were closed in a number of Beijing districts, with students told to return to online learning. Most public venues including cinemas and shopping malls were shuttered, while some public parks reopened at 50% capacity.

The capital appeared to be turning into a ghost town. Streets were deserted in what were normally some of the busiest regions, even during rush hour.

UN RIGHTS COUNCIL VOTES TO PROBE IRAN PROTEST CRACKDOWN; INDIA ABSTAINS

The United Nations’ top human rights body voted overwhelmingly for an international investigation into alleged human-rights violations by Iranian authorities in their deadly crackdown on protests gripping the country. At a special session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, 25 countries agreed to establish an independent fact-finding mission to investigate deaths, injuries, abuse, imprisonment and intimidation of protesters and their families since the unrest erupted on September 16. Six countries voted against the resolution, including Iran allies China and Venezuela, while nations including Brazil, India, Qatar and the UAE abstained.

“The unnecessary and disproportionate use of force must come to an end,” said Volker Turk, UN high commissioner for human rights, adding that a “full-fledged human rights crisis” was under way in Iran.

The uprising was triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini days after she was arrested by Iran’s so-called morality police for allegedly breaching religious dress codes. It’s emerged as the biggest public rebuke of the theocratic system that’s ruled Iran since 1979. Rights groups estimate between 305 and 420 people have so far been killed by security forces, including between 41 and 60 children. Iranian state media hasn’t provided a death toll since September 24. The session was proposed by Germany and Iceland and supported by more than 50 countries.

OVER 20,000 EMPLOYEES LEAVE APPLE IPHONE MAKER FOXCONN’S ZHENGZHOU PLANT

Apple iPhone maker Foxconn is witnessing a mass exodus of newly hired employees at its Zhengzhou plant in China. Over 20,000 workers have left the manufacturer just a day after violent protests broke out at the facility. The protests and subsequent lockdown in the city are already disturbing the manufacturer’s production timeline. The mass scale of departures is expected to further worsen the condition.

On Wednesday, workers at the Zhengzhou Foxconn factory were seen protesting against the iPhone maker. The workers had multiple demands from the company including pending payments and better working conditions. The protests had turned violent as workers with batons had started smashing surveillance camera and even breaking some make-shift covid-19 testing centers.

Foxconn also came up with an apology for the unrest. The iPhone maker claimed that a 'technical error' in the company's systems led to incomplete payments. The company assured the workers that they will be paid what was promised during the hiring.

The workers also complained about their working conditions at the factory. Some claimed to not have access to food and other essential supplies. Other workers claimed that they were kept together with Covid positive workers.

ANWAR IBRAHIM SWORN IN AS PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA; ENDS FIVE-DAY POLITICAL IMPASSE AFTER POLLS

Malaysia’s perennial Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Prime Minister before the King in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, ending a five-day political impasse after inconclusive polls.

The ceremony at the National Palace closed the chapter on one of the most dramatic elections in Malaysia’s history, after no party managed to secure a majority to form a government for the first time since independence in 1957.

Mr. Anwar’s ascension to the premiership caps a turbulent political life, which has not only propelled him into the corridors of power but also landed him inside a jail cell.

“I will not tolerate corruption and abuses ... None should be marginalised under my administration,” Mr. Anwar told a news conference. He said his focus would be on the economy.

He said his multi-ethnic Pakatan Harapan coalition had been able to secure a majority after gaining seats from old foes in the former ruling bloc Barisan Nasional and another party in Sarawak state on Borneo island.

Mr. Anwar’s coalition campaigned on an anti-graft message and won the most seats in the election with 82. That was ahead of the 73 won by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Malay-centric Perikatan Nasional bloc but still well short of the 112 needed for a majority.

Seeking to boost the legitimacy of his appointment, Mr. Anwar said his coalition would propose a vote of confidence in Parliament on December 19.

UKRAINE WAR: UKRAINE STRUGGLES TO RESTORE POWER AFTER RUSSIAN STRIKES

Ukraine has said that as much as 50% of the country's electricity needs are currently not being met, after massive Russian missile strikes this week.

The Ukrenergo power operator said the priority was to fix key infrastructure but repairs were now taking more time.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said "the most difficult situation" with power as well as water supply was in 15 regions, including the capital Kyiv.

Across Ukraine, winter is setting in, with snow and sub-zero temperatures.

There are fears that people across the country could die of hypothermia.

On Thursday morning, about 70% of Kyiv residents woke up without power.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told BBC Ukrainian he was not ruling out a "worst scenario" where the city would be without electricity, heat and water.

But later in the day the Ukrainian authorities said that electricity and water supplies were gradually being restored in all regions.

RUSSIAN LAWMAKERS APPROVE BILL BANNING LGBTQ 'PROPAGANDA'

MOSCOW, Russia — Russian lawmakers unanimously approved a bill banning all forms of LGBTQ "propaganda" in a final reading Thursday, as Moscow presses ahead with its conservative drive at home while its troops fight in Ukraine.

Activists said the new legislation ramps up the crackdown on "non-traditional" sexual relationships in Russia, affecting everything from books and films to social media posts. They have vowed to keep fighting for the rights of minorities.

President Vladimir Putin has sought to promote his country as the antithesis of Western liberal values, pushing an increasingly conservative agenda to rally his core constituency amid heightened tension with the world's top democracies.

Moscow already has a law against "propaganda" directed at minors regarding LGBTQ relationships. The new bill would broaden that rule to adults.

The legislation passed by the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, on Thursday bars all mention of what authorities deem "gay propaganda" in media, cinema, books and advertisements.

It also prohibits "the propaganda of paedophilia and sex change".

"Any propaganda of non-traditional relationships will have consequences," the speaker of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said on social media.

The bill "will protect our children and the future of our country from the darkness spread by the US and European states", he added.

The legislation still needs to be backed by the upper house and Putin before becoming law, but those steps are seen as a formality.

The bill introduces fines of up to 10 million rubles ($165,400) for people who ignore the new ban.

DONALD TRUMP SUED AS NEW YORK ADULT SURVIVORS ACT TAKES EFFECT

Writer E Jean Carroll has sued Donald Trump in the US state of New York for allegedly raping her in the 1990s.

Ms Carroll is among the first to sue under the Adult Survivors Act, which came into effect on Thursday.

The state law allows a one-year period for victims to file sexual assault lawsuits in New York over claims that would have otherwise exceeded statute limitations.

The former president has denied the allegations against him.

Ms Carroll alleges the attack took place in a New York luxury department store dressing room 27 years ago.

The Adult Survivors Act allows victims to come forward if the sexual assault occurred when they were over the age of 18 and took place on a date that exceeds time limits that exists on most felonies.

It is modelled after the state's recent Child Abuse Act, which applied to victims who were abused as minors.

The Child Abuse Act, which came into effect in 2019, allowed a two-year period for victims to come forward. Around 11,000 lawsuits were filed in New York against churches, hospitals, schools, camps and other institutions under that law.

ISLAMIC STATE: KURDISH FORCES THREATEN TO STOP GUARDING CAMPS

Local forces in north-east Syria have told the BBC that they may be forced to abandon camps holding Islamic State (IS) group detainees.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they no longer have the capacity to guard the compounds if Turkey launched a fresh ground operation there.

Turkey has attacked hundreds of targets in the region in retaliation for a bombing in Istanbul.

At least six people were killed and dozens more were wounded in the blast.

Turkey has blamed the bombing on Kurdish separatists based in northern Syria.

The SDF - a mostly Kurdish militia alliance backed by the US - has denied any involvement in the attack, and has accused Turkey of using it as a pretext to justify a long-planned cross-border offensive.

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the strikes were "only the beginning" and that he was determined to secure Turkey's border with Syria by establishing a "security corridor".

INDIANS OVERTAKE CHINESE AS LARGEST GROUP OF FOREIGN PUPILS IN UK: REPORT

London : Indian students have for the first time overtaken Chinese as the largest group of foreign students studying in the UK with a 273% hike in visas granted over the past few years, according to the country’s official immigration statistics released on Thursday.

The UK home office data collated by the office for national statistics (ONS) reveals that Indians also continue to be the top nationality granted visas in the skilled worker category, with 56,042 granted work visas in the past year. Indian nationals also represented the highest number of visas at 36% of the total under the tailored Skilled Worker Health and Care visa targeted at medical professionals, reinforcing Indian contributionto the state-funded National Health Service.

“There were 1,27,731 (study visa) grants to main applicant Indian nationals in the year ending September 2022, an increase of 93,470 (273%) compared to 2019 (34,261),” the home office said. “Chinese nationals were the second most common nationality granted sponsored study visas in the year ending September 2022, with 1,16,476 visas granted to main applicants, 2%fewer than the number seen in 2019 (1,19,231),” it said.

The new Graduate Route visa introducedlast year to allow international students the chance to stay on and work at the end of their degree was also dominated by Indians — accounting for 41% of visas granted. The special High PotentialIndividual visa, launched in May to attract the brightest graduates from the world’s top universities around the world to work in the UK, also saw a 14% grant to Indian nationals despite no Indian university being on the approved set of top global universities.

The statistics show that study visas for Indian, Nigerian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals, are now all more than three times higher than they were in 2019, seen as a major factor behind the UK’s immigration figures hitting record levels over the past year. The overall ONS data shows that net migration to the UK rose from 1,73,000 in the year to June 2021, to 504,000 in the year to June 2022 — an increase of 3,31,000 post-Brexit.