Senior figures in UK’s ruling party sound alarm over Palestine Action ban

Senior figures in UK’s ruling party sound alarm over Palestine Action ban
Protesters sit with placards supporting of Palestive Action at a "Lift The Ban" demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action, calling for the recently imposed ban to be lifted, in Parliament Square, central London, on August 9, 2025. (File/AFP)
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Updated 13 August 2025

Senior figures in UK’s ruling party sound alarm over Palestine Action ban

Senior figures in UK’s ruling party sound alarm over Palestine Action ban
  • Ex-minister: ‘You devalue the charge of terrorism by equating it with the protests we have seen’
  • Civil liberties campaigner: ‘Spraying paint on airplanes is not the same as being the IRA or Al-Qaeda’

LONDON: Senior figures in the UK’s ruling Labour Party are sounding the alarm over the government’s banning of the group Palestine Action.

It comes after hundreds of people were arrested in London last weekend under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act.

The protesters had held signs demonstrating support for Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terrorist organization in July.

Former Minister Peter Hain said the issue “will end in tears for the government,” The Guardian reported on Wednesday.

The former anti-apartheid activist added: “We are seeing retired magistrates, retired and serving doctors and all sorts of people being arrested and now effectively being equated with terrorists such as Al-Qaeda, which is absolutely wrong.”

If the ban is contested through a legal challenge and overturned, it “would be a mercy to all concerned, including the government,” he said.

Hain was one of three Labour peers in the House of Lords who voted against the ban last month.

“It’s going to get worse (for the government) because I don’t see people from that ‘middle Britain’ background who have joined these protests in such large numbers to suddenly decide that all is OK,” he said.

“In fact, I think more are going to come out and face arrest because the approach to Palestine Action is contrary to every form of peaceful protest in British history, whether that’s the chartists and suffragettes, or anti-apartheid and anti-fascist protesters.”

The government has faced mounting pressure over the ban after it emerged that of the 532 arrested under the Terrorism Act on the weekend, half were aged 60 or older.

Hain served as secretary of state for Northern Ireland, a role that gave him great insight into the realities of terrorism.

“There is a battery of other crimes that could be applied to Palestine Action but terrorism is not one of them, while you also devalue the charge of terrorism by equating it with the protests we have seen,” he said.

“I … worked with the intelligence services and others to stop dissident IRA (Irish Republican Army) groups from killing. I have signed warrants to stop other real terrorists, Islamist terrorists, bombing London. So, I am not soft on terrorism. But I am a strong believer that you have to know what it looks like.”

Many Labour MPs and peers are now doubting the decision to ban Palestine Action, Hain added.

The government has justified the proscription by describing the group as a “violent organization” that was planning to carry out extensive attacks.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said court restrictions have prevented the British public from discovering the “full nature of this organization.”

However, Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti warned that the ban could result in an “I am Spartacus” moment, The Independent reported on Wednesday.

She was referring to the 1960 film “Spartacus,” and a situation in which a group of people claim to be one person in an act of solidarity against an authority.

The civil liberties campaigner urged the government to “think again” over the ban, saying her worries are “greater now even than they were before” after last weekend’s mass arrests.

Chakrabarti told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program: “There are blurred lines now … some people are, as always, protesting about the horrific events they’re watching unfold in Gaza, but others think they’re standing up for civil liberties because this ban was disproportionate.”

She added that a distinction must be made between criminal damage and terrorism, and that “spraying paint on airplanes,” as Palestine Action members did, “is not the same as being the IRA or Al-Qaeda.”

Saturday’s mass arrest of protesters is believed to be the largest of its kind by London’s Metropolitan Police since the poll tax riot of 1990.

Rights groups including Amnesty International and Liberty warned that the arrests were “disproportionate to the point of absurdity,” and that the Terrorism Act is threatening freedom of expression.

Chakrabarti said: “And so we've got more people taking to the streets, a bigger headache for the police. Frankly, I’m very sympathetic to the police on this issue. I think it may be time to think again.”


Australian former UFC fighter shot dead in Sydney

Australian former UFC fighter shot dead in Sydney
Updated 57 min 59 sec ago

Australian former UFC fighter shot dead in Sydney

Australian former UFC fighter shot dead in Sydney
  • Former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian was gunned down in a “brazen” shooting while on an early evening walk in Sydney, police said, months after surviving an attempt on his life

SYDNEY: Former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian was gunned down in a “brazen” shooting while on an early evening walk in Sydney, police said, months after surviving an attempt on his life.
The 33-year-old was shot dead in a “targeted” attack in Riverstone, a suburb in Sydney’s northwest, on Wednesday evening, New South Wales Police said.
A short time after the shooting two cars were found on fire in different locations, a hallmark of recent organized crime hits that have rattled the city.
“It’s very brazen and it’s a shame that this is happening in our community,” NSW Police superintendent Jason Joyce said.
“You’d want to think that in a residential area that people could wander the streets at that time of (early) night and be safe, but we do believe it’s a targeted attack,” he said.
Local media reported that Mokhtarian had survived an attempt on his life last February, when a gunman fired on him outside a gym in Sydney’s west.
He fought twice in the UFC, in 2018 and 2019, losing both times, before moving into coaching, according to ESPN.
He helped develop some of Australia’s top mixed martial arts prospects, the website said.
A local who only identified himself by his first name, Ben, said he was walking with his wife when he heard a gunshot.
“It was around then when we heard a bang as well and a lot of smoke went up in the air... that would have been the car,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“There was a large commotion, a lot of people were just shocked because they’ve never witnessed anything like this.”
“The shooting happened with children literally riding bikes around the park.”
Neighbour Natalie, who also did not provide her last name, said she was out the front of her home with her children when the incident took place.
“I called the police straight away,” she told the national broadcaster ABC.
Natalie said she ran over to see if Mokhtarian was alive, but “he clearly wasn’t.”
“I could immediately tell he wasn’t alive, otherwise I would’ve tried to help him,” she said.
The killing came a day after police foiled a “kill team” bearing firearms, balaclavas, body-worn cameras and jerrycans on the way to a daycare center.
Police are investigating if the two incidents are linked.


Afghan Taliban foreign minister begins first India visit

Afghan Taliban foreign minister begins first India visit
Updated 09 October 2025

Afghan Taliban foreign minister begins first India visit

Afghan Taliban foreign minister begins first India visit
  • Neither side has disclosed the agenda, but analysts say trade and security are likely to be at the forefront, though India is unlikely, for now, to extend formal recognition to the Taliban government

NEW DELHI: Afghanistan’s UN-sanctioned foreign minister arrived in India on Thursday, the first visit by a top Taliban leader since they returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led forces.
Amir Khan Muttaqi’s trip — made possible after the UN Security Council granted him a travel waiver — is expected to be closely watched by India’s arch-rival Pakistan, as New Delhi deepens its engagement with the Taliban government.
“We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, offering Muttaqi a “warm welcome.”
Muttaqi, who met with India’s top career diplomat Vikram Misri in January in Dubai, is set to hold talks with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Neither side has disclosed the agenda, but analysts say trade and security are likely to be at the forefront — though India is unlikely, for now, to extend formal recognition to the Taliban government.
“New Delhi is eager to establish its influence in Kabul... and not be left behind by its arch-rivals, China and Pakistan,” International Crisis Group analyst Praveen Donthi told AFP.
Muttaqi’s visit follows meetings in Russia — the only country so far to have officially recognized the Taliban administration.
But while the Taliban are “seeking diplomatic recognition and legitimacy,” Donthi said, others noted that was some way off.
“India is not in a hurry to provide diplomatic recognition to the Taliban,” Rakesh Sood, India’s former ambassador to Kabul, told AFP.
India has long hosted tens of thousands of Afghans, many who fled the country after the Taliban returned to power.
Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi shut in 2023, although consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad still operate limited services.
India says its mission in Kabul is limited to coordinating humanitarian aid.


EU chief faces confidence votes in fractious parliament

EU chief faces confidence votes in fractious parliament
Updated 09 October 2025

EU chief faces confidence votes in fractious parliament

EU chief faces confidence votes in fractious parliament
  • Two motions of censure brought by the hard-left and far-right, accusing von der Leyen’s European Commission of a lack of transparency
  • Motions widely expected to fail, but will test the cohesion of the coalition led by von der Leyen’s conservative European People’s Party

STRASBOURG, France: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen faces two confidence votes Thursday in the European Parliament — challenges that pose no serious threat to her leadership but underscore the tensions roiling the assembly.
The two motions of censure against von der Leyen were brought by the hard-left and far-right, which accuse her European Commission of a lack of transparency and reject her trade policies.
But while the motions are widely expected to fail, they reflect mounting discontent with von der Leyen’s leadership and will test the cohesion of the coalition led by her conservative European People’s Party (EPP).
For von der Leyen, there is a sense of deja vu.
She survived a previous far-right attempt to unseat her in July, but the vote opened the door for allies in von der Leyen’s so-called pro-European camp to air their own grievances.
Critics from the left and center accuse von der Leyen — and the broader conservative camp — of blurring lines with the far right and backtracking on environmental legislation.
“We can’t really say there’s been any progress in this Parliament,” charged centrist Renew group leader Valerie Hayer during a heated debate in the chamber on Monday.
“The pro-European majority that elected you is still not functioning properly,” Hayer said.
Iratxe Garcia Perez of the Socialists and Democrats delivered a warning to von der Leyen.
“You must choose between your allies and those who are not our friends,” she said in the parliament.

‘SܰԻ’

Monday’s debate saw both groups bringing challenges against von der Leyen call on her to stand down.
Hard-left France Unbowed lawmaker Manon Aubry accused her of “inaction” over the “genocide” in Gaza, while the far-right Patriots group chief Jordan Bardella slammed Europe’s trade “surrender” to the United States.
But despite their own frustrations, neither the socialists nor centrists are likely to break ranks with von der Leyen.
The EPP, for its part, remains firmly behind the commission chief.
In her debate response, von der Leyen offered a more conciliatory tone than in July when she had dismissed the censure’s backers as “extremists” and admirers of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I know there are some of you who are still unsure how to vote later this week,” she told lawmakers on Monday.
The commission president defended her record and called for unity, stressing the challenges the bloc faces — chief among them the war in Ukraine and the broader threat from Russia.
“The truth is that our adversaries are not only ready to exploit any divisions — they are actively inciting those divisions in the first place,” she said.
The European Parliament has never succeeded in toppling a commission team.
The only comparable moment dates from March 1999, when the commission led by Luxembourg’s Jacques Santer resigned en masse over damning corruption claims and mismanagement, rather than face a confidence vote it was set to lose.
 


Medvedev to face De Minaur in Shanghai Masters quarterfinals

Medvedev to face De Minaur in Shanghai Masters quarterfinals
Updated 09 October 2025

Medvedev to face De Minaur in Shanghai Masters quarterfinals

Medvedev to face De Minaur in Shanghai Masters quarterfinals
  • The Russian said he would need to rest his legs in anticipation of a similarly tough challenge against De Minaur on Friday
  • Another top-10 player fell on Wednesday as Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti lost to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2

SHANGHAI: Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday got his revenge against US teenager Learner Tien, beating him in a nail-biter 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (1/7), 6-4 to proceed to the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals.

There he will meet world No. 7 Alex de Minaur, who cruised past Portugal’s Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-2 earlier in the day.

Victory in Shanghai comes just over a week after the 36th-ranked Tien took the Russian out of the China Open semifinals in Beijing.

“He’s an unbelievable tennis player,” Medvedev said of the 19-year-old. “Outside of the big three, he may be the toughest opponent I’ve ever faced.”

Medvedev broke first in the ninth game, but Tien returned the favor immediately.

Daniil Medvedev (L) embraces Learner Tien at the end of their men's singles match at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai on October 8, 2025. (AFP)

The last two games of the first set saw the two players locked in an epic back-and-forth, their prolonged rallies thrilling the crowd.

Both faced breakpoint but managed to hold, with Medvedev smashing a looping lob from Tien to send them to a gripping tiebreak.

Medvedev broke early in the second set, but Tien was again unphased — breaking back in the fifth and then seventh games, before the former world number one leveled in the 10th.

Medvedev began limping just before the second-set tiebreak and spoke briefly with a medic before hobbling back onto court.

Tien went 3-0 up as the Russian, ten years his senior, tried to stretch out on court, becoming increasingly irate as the match was pushed to a decider.

“I should be more calm, but Learner drives me nuts... I lost two very traumatic matches against him — so for sure I was scared to lose again,” he said.

But a scrappy third set — full of double-faults from both players — was settled when Medvedev broke in the ninth game with a backhand.

‘Going to be a battle’

The Russian said he would need to rest his legs in anticipation of a similarly tough challenge against De Minaur on Friday, smiling wryly: “We’re gonna run again.”

After Novak Djokovic, the Australian is the highest ranked player left standing after a string of high-profile exits.

De Minaur needed five break points in the 11th game against Borges in the first set, converting the last with a backhand for a decisive advantage.

He carried the momentum into the second set, breaking in the first and third games.

But he remained cautious about his title chances.

“In our side of the draw, there’s a lot of quality players, so it’s still going to be a battle,” he said.

Another top-10 player fell on Wednesday as Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti lost to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2.

Thirteenth-ranked Auger-Aliassime looked sharp throughout, breaking in the fifth game.

He went on to dominate the second set, breaking Musetti, the world number nine, in the fifth and seventh games.

“I knew it was going to be the toughest match of the week so far, and I knew I was going to have to raise my level, and I did,” said the 25-year-old Canadian.

He will next meet France’s Arthur Rinderknech, who reached his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal after beating Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).

Rinderknech’s cousin Valentin Vacherot made it to the last eight on Tuesday, and will face Denmark’s Holger Rune for a place in the semifinals.

Djokovic will follow them on to court on Thursday against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs for a place in the last four.
 


US State Department fires diplomat over relationship with Chinese

US State Department fires diplomat over relationship with Chinese
Updated 09 October 2025

US State Department fires diplomat over relationship with Chinese

US State Department fires diplomat over relationship with Chinese
  • Diplomat admitted concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese national with known ties to the Chinese Communist Party, says department spokesman
  • The Trump administration earlier this year said it would restrict employees in China from entering romantic relationships with locals, a rare step reminiscent of the Cold War

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s administration said Wednesday it fired a State Department employee who did not acknowledge a romantic relationship with a Chinese national.
“The State Department has officially terminated the employment of a Foreign Service officer who admitted concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese national with known ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
The State Department said the officer, a man whom it did not identify, said on camera that the Chinese woman “could have been a spy” but did not say if there was any proof of espionage.
The dismissed employee said his partner’s father was “straight-up communist party,” according to the State Department.
The Chinese Communist Party permeates life in the billion-plus country in areas from business to education, with many ordinary Chinese maintaining ties out of practicality as much as ideology.
The State Department said it was the first known dismissal taken under an executive order signed by Trump shortly after returning to office in which he ordered that all employees “faithfully implement the president’s policy.”
“We will maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any employee who is caught undermining our country’s national security,” Pigott said.
The United States earlier this year said it would restrict employees in China from entering romantic relationships with locals, a rare step reminiscent of the Cold War.