Beijing, Oct 15 (PTI) China’s ruling Communist Party will hold its key Congress from Sunday during which a new set of top officials will be appointed except for President Xi Jinping who is set to get endorsed for a record third term, breaking over the three-decade norm for top leaders to step down after a 10-year tenure.

The 20h Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in which 2,296 “elected” delegates under the norms and guidelines set by Xi will attend a closed-door meeting, is being held amid a rare protest against Xi and his rigid Zero COVID policy of widespread restrictions and lockdowns, resulting in the slowdown of the world’s second-largest economy.

Except for Xi, 69, all top officials including the number two leader, Premier Li Keqiang will be replaced in the massive reshuffle to follow in the days to come, which included a new foreign minister replacing the incumbent Wang Yi.

Ahead of the once-in-a-five-year conclave, photos circulating in social media on Thursday showed banners hung on overpasses of a major thoroughfare in the northwest of the Chinese capital, protesting against Xi’s unpopular zero-COVID policy and authoritarian rule.

Banners displayed on a bridge in the district of Haidian, home to universities and tech firms in Beijing, read food, not COVID test; reform, not a cultural revolution; freedom, not lockdowns; votes, not a leader; dignity, not lies; citizens, not slaves etc.

Battery-operated loudspeakers were hung in some places blaring anti-Xi and anti-Zero COVID slogans.

Following the incident, security which is already tight in Beijing has been further beefed up with reports that some of the areas in the city have been virtually shut down and police were deployed on numerous overpasses.

Besides concerns and disquiet over the growing unemployment in the country which climbed to a record 19 per cent, observers say discontent is brewing in the party over Xi’s massive anti-corruption crackdown against officials in the last ten years in which lakhs officials, including top brass of the military, were punished.

From day one after assuming power in 2012, Xi has launched a ruthless campaign against corruption, which besides striking a chord with people also helped him systematically weed out political opponents.

“If there were only one lens through which to interpret Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarkable rise over the past decade, then it would have to be his signature anti-corruption drive,” Wang Xiangwei, former editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, said.

Since he came to power, Xi and his supporters have deftly combined this ruthless effort with a relentless ideological campaign aimed at consolidating power by crushing political rivals and strengthening control over all levels of society, Wang wrote in his recent column in the Post stating that nearly five million high-ranking “tigers and flies” were investigated and disciplined.

Six senior security officials, including a former justice minister, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in a purge of officials in the run-up to the Congress.

At home, there is also concern over the US and EU increasingly turning hostile against China besides neighbouring countries India and Japan over Beijing’s military might and belligerent rhetoric over its sovereignty claims.

The Congress is also being closely watched at home and abroad for its leadership changes and the much-expected continuation of Xi for an unprecedented 3rd term, and perhaps for life.

Since the death of party founder Mao Zedong in 1976, successive leaders of the party followed a rule that the party will have a leadership transition at the top and provincial levels every ten years to ensure collective leadership principle and to prevent the emergence of a one-leader dominated system to avert mass violent campaigns like Mao’s Cultural Revolution in which millions were exterminated.

To facilitate Xi’s continuation in power, China’s Constitution has already been amended in 2018 by National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s parliament, removing two five-year tenures for the President.

A plenary meeting of the CPC consisting of about 400 senior officials which concluded a four-day preparatory meeting on October 12 ahead of the Congress left strong hints of Xi’s continuation in power.

A communique issued after the meeting said: “the party has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and has defined the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”.

“This reflects the common will of the party, the armed forces, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and is of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for driving forward the historic process of great national rejuvenation,” it said.

The 20th Congress is also expected to carry out new amendments to CPC’s constitution to provide more power to Xi besides elevating his position in the party further.

“We must amend the Constitution in accordance with the new conditions we face and the missions the party needs to carry out … We must incorporate the latest theoretical and strategic thinking into the party constitution,” a recent report by the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Analysts believe the move aims to better enshrine Xi’s ruling philosophy into the party charter that governs 95 million members and this would further strengthen Xi’s leadership position, a recent report in the Post said.

The CPC already added “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” to its Constitution in 2017.

The amendment, approved at the 19th CPC National Congress, juxtaposes Xi’s thought with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping’s Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development. PTI KJV NSA AKJ NSA

 ANI

Islamabad, October 15

A former high court chief justice of Pakistan's Balochistan province was shot dead outside a mosque on Friday, police officials said.

Assailants opened fire at Muhammad Noor Meskanzai outside the mosque in the Kharan area, which left him gravely injured, Kharan Superintendent of Police Asif Halim told Dawn.

The former chief justice was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died of his injuries, the report said.

Expressing condolences over the death of the "fearless judge", Balochistan chief minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo said his services were "unforgettable".

Bizenjo said that the "cowardly attacks of the enemies of peace cannot intimidate the nation".

Maskanzai authored the landmark judgement that declared the Riba-based banking system against the Sharia.

Quetta Bar Association (QBA) President Ajmal Khan Kakar also condemned Muskanzai's killing. He said every citizen of Pakistan was deeply saddened by the death of the former judge.

"We strongly condemn this incident and demand that the killers must immediately be arrest and brought to book," Ajmal Kakar was quoted as saying by Dawn.

This comes amid the deteriorating security situation in the country.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's State Minister for Law Shahadat Hussain conceded that terror activities had witnessed a sharp increase.

The highest number of terror incidents in Pakistan this year was recorded in September, said an Islamabad-based think tank pointed to the resumption of attacks by the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The number of terror attacks increased in September compared to August this year, the Dawn said in an earlier report citing the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

September witnessed 42 militant attacks with an increase of 35 per cent compared to August. The Pakistani think tank also observed an increase of 106 per cent in violence in erstwhile Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

In August this year, the think tank said the militants carried out 31 attacks across Pakistan, in which 37 people were killed and 55 others injured.

 PTI

London, October 14

Rebels on the backbenches of the UK’s governing Conservative Party are said to be plotting to replace Liz Truss as party leader and Prime Minister with a so-called “unity” joint ticket team involving former leadership rival Rishi Sunak, it emerged on Friday.

‘Chose wrong candidate’

• A newspaper poll has found that almost half of Tory party supporters believe the party chose the wrong candidate in the leadership election
• The poll found that among those who voted for the Conservatives at the last election, 62 per cent said party members made the wrong choice when the race was shortlisted between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, compared with 15 per cent who said they had got it right

Kwarteng sacked, Hunt new Treasury chief

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has appointed former Cabinet Minister Jeremy Hunt as new Treasury chief, replacing sacked Kwasi Kwarteng. Hunt is a government veteran who has served as former foreign secretary and health secretary, and ran unsuccessfully to lead the Conservative Party in 2019. Truss also replaced the second highest-ranking Treasury minister in a bid to restore order after weeks of turmoil over the government’s economic plans. AP

PM reverses plan to cut corporation tax

• PM Liz Truss (left) has abandoned a planned cut to corporation tax, scrapping a key part of an economic planthat sparked weeks of market and political turmoil
• Truss said at a hastily arranged news conference on Friday that she was acting to “reassure the markets of our fiscal discipline”
• Truss is trying to restore order after three weeks of turmoil sparked by the government's tax-cutting “mini budget”
• She said, “I want to deliver a low tax, high wage, and high growth economy”

It comes as a YouGov poll of a newspaper found that almost half of Tory party supporters believe the party chose the wrong candidate in the leadership election. The poll found that among those who voted for the Conservatives at the last election, 62 per cent said that party members had made the wrong choice when the race was shortlisted between Truss and Sunak, compared with 15 per cent who said they had got it right.

It comes as a YouGov poll of a newspaper found that almost half of Tory party supporters believe the party chose the wrong candidate in the leadership election. The poll found that among those who voted for the Conservatives at the last election, 62 per cent said that party members had made the wrong choice when the race was shortlisted between Truss and Sunak, compared with 15 per cent who said they had got it right.

It has led panicked Tory members of the Parliament to start considering alternatives in the candidates who secured the most votes within the parliamentary party — the 42-year-old British Indian former Chancellor, who was the frontrunner with his colleagues, and Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt, who came in third.

While further U-turns on the tax-cutting plans are expected following crunch meetings at 10 Downing Street, the Tory backbenchers are said to be weighing up the prospect of changing the party leader yet again

Given that Truss, 47, technically cannot face a leadership challenge, MPs are said to be considering the possibility of rallying behind a joint team of Sunak and Mordaunt where the former is the Prime Minister and the latter his Deputy.

Another option is — Mordaunt, 49, — to take over as party leader and Prime Minister and Sunak as Chancellor, given his track record in office at the Treasury and that he had warned of much of the turmoil that has since unleashed under Truss.

“A coronation won’t be that hard to arrange,” a senior Tory said.

Islamabad, Oct 14 (IANS) A man hurled abuses at Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar at the Washington airport, the media reported.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, the man is seen mistreating and hurling abuses at the Minister, Geo News reported.

However, a person accompanying Dar responded, after which the man seemed to have stopped.

Dar is currently in the US to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Although it is not clear what was the person's political inclination, PTI and PML-N supporters have been at loggerheads ever since former Prime Minister Imran Khan's ouster in April.

Several scuffles between supporters of both parties have broken out abroad, especially in London, where PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is residing these days, Geo News reported.

Recently in London, PTI supporters stopped PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz's son, Junaid Safdar but the latter handled the situation well.

Junaid told the protesters that they have the right to protest, but they should also ensure that they stay within their limits.

 New York [US], October 14 (ANI): Reaffirming a strong commitment to Yemen's unity and unwavering support to the people of the conflict-ridden country, India on Thursday (local time) said that it is deeply disappointed that the warring parties in the country have not agreed to an extension of the truce.
A truce between Yemen's internationally recognised government and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels ended on October 2. India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Yemen said, "India is deeply disappointed to learn that the parties have not agreed to an extension and expansion of the truce."
The only sustainable solution to the conflict, Kamboj said is a "peacefully negotiated, Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political settlement" that prioritizes the well-being of all Yemenis and meets their legitimate aspirations.
Welcoming the commitment shown by the Government of Yemen in implementing the truce agreements in good faith, the envoy noted that it is time for warring parties to take a human-centric approach to the conflict and not merely view it as a military or political game.
"We take note that negotiations on truce renewal, facilitated by the Special Envoy, are underway and, we hope that a mutually satisfactory agreement is reached soon," she said.
India appreciated the flexibility shown by the Yemeni Government on the proposals made by the Special Envoy. India urged Ansarallah (the Houthi movement) to reciprocate this flexibility and engage with the Special Envoy constructively.
In the meantime, India also urged all parties to maintain the spirit of the truce and refrain from provocations or any military action that could lead to the resumption of active hostilities.
The conflict so far has already resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy in Yemen with an enormous loss of lives, endangering millions of civilians with chronic food insecurity, as well as exacerbating the miseries of the people, particularly women and children.
"We have seen the tangible benefits of the truce in the past six months: active military operations had ceased; cross-border strikes into Yemen's neighbours had halted; civilian casualties had dropped significantly; fuel imports through Hudaydah port had eased shortages, and international commercial flights out of Sana'a airport had resumed," Kamboj said at UNSC meeting. (ANI)

 New Delhi [India], October 13 (ANI): India and Portugal held the third round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) in Lisbon where the two sides reviewed bilateral relations and discussed cooperation in defence, cultural and people-to-people relations among others.
The consultations were co-chaired by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in MEA and envoy Rui Vinhas, Director General for Foreign Policy in Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomat Verma also called on Francisco Andre, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation in Portugal, a Ministry of External Affairs press release read. The two sides carried out a comprehensive review of bilateral relations with a focus on issues like high-level political engagements, implementation of migration and mobility agreement, deepening of trade and economic ties and explored new and existing co-operation avenues in science and technology, defence, cultural and people-to-people relations, etc.
The two sides also exchanged views on global and regional issues of common interest and agreed to work closely in multilateral cooperation, including at the UN, the Communidade dos Paises da Lingua Portuguesa (CPLP) and at the EU level to follow up on the outcomes of the India-EU Leaders' Summit held in Porto in May 2021.
Both sides also agreed to work in new fields such as food sustainability, mutual recognition of educational qualifications, air connectivity, visa waivers and climate action. Secretary (West) also had substantive discussions with the Executive Secretary of CPLP, Zacarias da Costa to discuss cooperation with Lusophone countries.
The Indian side reiterated the invitation for the participation of CPLP countries in the Lusophone Festival proposed to be held at Goa in December 2022. India became an observer of the CPLP in July 2021, the press release added.
Secretary (West) also interacted with other officials, academicians, business representatives and members of the Indo-Portuguese community at a reception organised by the Mission where Millets based recipes were served to generate awareness about the International Year of Millets 2023 and food sustainability.
The Indian delegation earlier participated in the Europe-India Strategic Dialogue, a Track 1.5 initiative of Anant-Aspen Centre; Institut Montaigne, Paris and Fundacao Oriente, Lisboa; which touched upon issues such as free trade, energy, connectivity and regional security. Secretary (West) also interacted with Foreign Minister Joao Cravinho during a round table discussion organised by Fundacao Oriente.
India and Portugal share historic and friendly bilateral relations with shared values of democracy and sustainable development, strengthened by frequent high-level exchanges. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Consultations at a mutually convenient date in New Delhi. (ANI)

 Astana [Kazakhstan], October 13 (ANI): On the sidelines of the Sixth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the CICA Secretariat and the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). With this, the EEC became the sixth Partner Organization of CICA. The document was signed by CICA Executive Director Kairat Sarybay and Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mikhail Myasnikovich.
Areas such as regional economic integration, economy and finance, transportation and transport, digitalization and information and communication technology, industry, agribusiness, trade and competition policy were identified as fields of interaction between the two associations.
In his remarks at the signing ceremony, the CICA Executive Director pointed out that CICA acted in five broad dimensions of cooperation - military-political, new challenges and threats, economic, environmental, and human.
That being said, at least 60 percent of the CICA agenda is represented by economic issues, which clearly testifies to the Member States' focus on practical cooperation and opens up broad prospects for interaction with the EAEU. Thus, cooperation between the CICA Business Council and the EAEU Business Council could become one of the practical forms of this work.
The CICA Executive Director emphasized that the wide range of economic challenges and opportunities, global and regional threats and challenges, the goals of sustainable development and environmental protection were indicative of the need for greater interaction and connectivity on the Asian and - on a broader scale - on the Eurasian continent.
In December 2021, the CICA Member States decided to initiate contact between the CICA Secretariat and the Eurasian Economic Commission in order to establish mutually beneficial and constructive interaction. Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mikhail Myasnikovich is invited to participate in the Sixth CICA Summit in Astana on 12-13 October 2022.
Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi is leading the Indian delegation to the 6th CICA Summit to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan. As one of the founding members of CICA, India has supported CICA's initiatives, including by organizing and participating in various CICA activities, the press release added.
On the sidelines of the CICA Summit, MOS will also have some bilateral meetings with senior dignitaries and Ministers from other participating countries, including Kazakhstan.
India has close and friendly ties with Kazakhstan underpinned by cultural and historical linkages. MoS visit comes at an opportune time as India marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with Kazakhstan. The visit will further reinforce the momentum in India's bilateral relations. (ANI)

Berlin, Oct 13 (IANS) As Germany battles the energy crisis, the government, in line with the leading economic institutes, expects an economic contraction of 0.4 per cent in 2023 and says that the country could slide into recession next year.

"This severe energy crisis threatens to become an economic and, in conjunction with it, a social crisis," Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

In its spring forecast, the German government had still projected growth of 2.5 per cent for next year, reports Xinhua news agency.

The measures taken by the government to address the energy crisis have worked "no matter how serious and depressing these figures are", Habeck stressed.

A "significantly sharper" economic decline has been forecast, he added, for a worst-case scenario that includes a freeze of Russian gas supplies.

At the beginning of September, gas supplies through the important Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany were completely halted after being suspended several times previously for maintenance work.

To ensure heating supply this winter, the authorities have accelerated the filling of the country's gas storages.

According to the government's legal targets, gas storage facilities should be at least 95 per cent full by November 1.

This target, Habeck said, has now almost been reached.

Driven by soaring energy prices, inflation in Germany has risen steadily since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, reaching record levels of 10 per cent in September, according to preliminary figures issued by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

To cushion the impact of high inflation, the government has already presented relief measures, which include short-term financial support to residents faced with steep heating bills and increased welfare payments.

It also announced a "protective umbrella" of up to 200 billion euros ($194 billion) to stabilise the economy.

As a result of the measures, inflation would drop to 7 per cent next year instead of rising further as predicted by the economic institutes earlier, Habeck said.

"These packages will have an impact, also to curb inflation."

However, companies have warned that "weak investment" is reducing the country's growth potential.

This increases the risk that the economy would "lose ground in global competition", the Federation of German Industries said on Wednesday.

"Of course, we need the full financial power of the state to maintain the substance of our economy and jobs," Habeck said, promising to "quickly implement" the gas and electricity price brakes.

 Gilgit Baltistan [PoK], October 12 (ANI): Shopkeepers across the illegally occupied territory of Gilgit Baltistan, who are already struggling with prolonged electricity shortage in the region, observed a shutter-down strike against the imposition of unjust taxes on them by the Pakistani government.
Public anger has been rising in various parts of Gilgit-Baltistan against a new taxation law passed by the legislative assembly that will affect the common people. The protesters said that the "Gilgit-Baltistan Revenue Authority Bill 2022" has imposed new taxes on 135 items, the Dawn newspaper reported. A local criticised the region's lawmakers for passing the bill and claimed that "they had passed the bill for their own salaries and privileges." Another said that the vegetable sellers will be economically burdened with this new tax and added that the people of the region are not guaranteed any constitutional status.
The people of the area have also accused the government of Pakistan time and again of trying to impose taxes on them under different pretexts.
The bill was passed by the assembly for the first time in August this year, however, it was rejected by GB Governor Syed Mehdi Shah in September. The Dawn report said that Mehdi Shah had refused to sign the bill and returned it to the assembly for review.
According to the Pakistan daily, the bill was again tabled in the assembly and was recently passed for the second time, effectively turning it into law.
Shops in a number of districts remained closed while the traffic on roads was also minimal after the call of GB traders body and hotel association. In the Nasirabad area of Hunza, where locals took out a rally on Karakoram Highway, the demonstrators held placards and chanted slogans against the new taxes.
The protest was against the imposition of new taxes on the people of GB, said Masoodur Rehman, central traders' body President of Gilgit-Baltistan.
"The imposition of taxes on 135 items will affect the poor people," Rehman said.
While pointing to the taxes imposed on over 100 items, the trade body chief said people were already suffering losses due to prolonged electricity shortage in the region.
According to Rehman, the Shehbaz Sharif government was imposing taxes under various names without granting constitutional rights to the people of GB.
He further warned, "This is a token protest, if the government doesn't reverse the bill, the next course of action will be more aggressive." (ANI)

Addis Ababa, Oct 12 (IANS) The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that this year's first voluntary humanitarian return flight has departed from Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, with 129 Ethiopian migrants on board.

"The movement to Addis Ababa is an important lifeline for stranded migrants seeking a safe and dignified way to return home from Yemen," the UN migration agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the IOM, the flight is carrying migrants, including unaccompanied minors and those with medical conditions and other specific needs, who were left stranded as a result of insecurity and restrictions on their movement, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Migrants stranded in Sanaa have been left destitute and without food, shelter and other basic needs. Some have been waiting for an opportunity to return home for over a year," the statement quoted Matt Huber, IOM Yemen's acting chief of Mission, as saying.

"We hope we can continue to ensure that migrants who would like to go home can do so in the months ahead."

According to figures from IOM, more than 1,800 migrants stranded in Aden and Marib have departed on voluntary humanitarian return flights so far this year.

The IOM aims to support approximately 5,000 additional stranded migrants to voluntarily return home from the three locations in the coming months.

The UN agency estimated that 43,800 migrants are currently stranded throughout Yemen, many are held under the control of dangerous smuggling networks.

The vast majority hope to reach Saudi Arabia but are unable to continue their journeys.

Estimates suggest that thousands of Ethiopians are trafficked every year who hope to reach the Arabian Peninsula via Djibouti and Yemen and look for better economic opportunities in major Middle Eastern countries' informal job markets, mainly with an aim to find informal jobs in Yemen's northern neighbour Saudi Arabia.

Desperate Ethiopian migrants, who often attempt to cross the dangerous Red Sea route via the neighbouring nation Djibouti, regularly endure deadly incidents along the Red Sea as well as imprisonment and killings in the war-torn Yemen.