British PM heads to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales to reset ties with UK’s 4 nations

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech, following his first cabinet meeting as Prime Minister, in London, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech, following his first cabinet meeting as Prime Minister, in London, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP)
Short Url
Updated 07 July 2024
Follow

British PM heads to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales to reset ties with UK’s 4 nations

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech, following his first cabinet meeting as Prime Minister, in London.
  • While each of the devolved nations in the UK elects members to the House of Commons in London, they also have their own regional parliaments
  • Starmer told Abbas that the recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a peace process was the “undeniable right of Palestinians”

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is heading off Sunday to the four corners of the UK as part of an “immediate reset” with governments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Starmer, who said he has a “mandate to do politics differently” after his party’s landslide victory, will meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney in Edinburgh in an effort to “turn disagreement into cooperation.”
“That begins today with an immediate reset of my government’s approach to working with the first and deputy first ministers,” he said. “Meaningful co-operation centered on respect will be key to delivering change across our United Kingdom.”
While each of the devolved nations in the UK elects members to the House of Commons in London, they also have their own regional parliaments.
Starmer’s Labour Party trounced Swinney’s Scottish National Party for seats in Parliament. But the SNP, which has pushed for Scottish independence, still holds a majority at Holyrood, the Scottish parliament.
The trip to build better working relations across the UK is part of Starmer’s broader mission to work toward serving people as he tackles of mountain of problems.
The Labour government inherited a wobbly economy that left Britons struggling to pay bills after global economic woes and fiscal missteps. It also faces a public that is disenchanted after 14 years of chaotic Conservative rule and fiscal austerity that hollowed out public services, including the revered National Health Service, which Starmer declared broken.
Starmer said he wants to transfer power from the bureaucratic halls of government in London to leaders who know what’s best for their communities.
After his brief tour, he’ll return to England, where he plans to meet with regional mayors, saying in his first news conference Saturday that he would engage with politicians regardless of their party.
“There’s no monopoly on good ideas,” he said “I’m not a tribal political.”
Starmer continued to speak with other world leaders, having separate calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
He spoke with both about his priorities for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the return of hostages to Israel, and an increase in humanitarian aid, a spokesperson said.
He told Abbas that the recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a peace process was the “undeniable right of Palestinians” and told Netanyahu it was important to ensure the long-term conditions for a two-state solution, including ensuring financial means for Abbas’ Palestinian Authority to operate effectively.
On Tuesday, Starmer will jet off to Washington for a NATO meeting.
Meanwhile, his top diplomat, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, was due in Poland and Sweden Sunday after visiting Germany on Saturday for his first trip abroad to strengthen ties with European partners.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on the social media platform X that the UK was an indispensable part of Europe and they were working with the British government to see how it could move closer to the European Union.
Lammy reiterated Starmer’s pledge not to rejoin the EU single market after British voters in 2016 voted to break from the political and economic union.
“Let us put the Brexit years behind us,” Lammy told The Observer. “We are not going to rejoin the single market and the customs union but there is much that we can do together.”
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Sunday on Sky News that the UK should look for ways to improve trade with the EU and that removing some trade barriers was sensible. But he said the Labour government was not open to the free movement of people that was required as a member of the union.


Rawalpindi’s century-old mosque offers spiritual sanctuary during holy month

Rawalpindi’s Markazi Jamia Masjid offers visitors a chance to connect with the city’s past. (AN photos)
Rawalpindi’s Markazi Jamia Masjid offers visitors a chance to connect with the city’s past. (AN photos)
Updated 10 sec ago
Follow

Rawalpindi’s century-old mosque offers spiritual sanctuary during holy month

Rawalpindi’s Markazi Jamia Masjid offers visitors a chance to connect with the city’s past. (AN photos)
  • Markazi Jamia Masjid blends history, architecture and faith
  • Surrounded by busy markets, the mosque is an architectural marvel and a retreat for devotees
  • The foundations were laid in 1896 by Amanullah Khan, who later became king of Afghanistan

RAWALPINDI: Sheikh Sajid Mahmood, a Pakistani entrepreneur in his late 50s, basks in the winter sunshine after offering Dhuhr prayers at a mosque in the city of Rawalpindi. The tranquil appeal of the place of worship — a spiritual and cultural beacon — draws thousands like Mahmood, particularly during Ramadan.

Surrounded by busy markets and towering buildings, the Markazi Jamia Masjid, or central grand mosque, is an architectural marvel in Pakistan that not only offers a retreat to devotees, but also captivates visitors with its vibrant frescoes and intricate design, offering a glimpse into the rich religious and cultural heritage of Rawalpindi.

Rawalpindi’s Markazi Jamia Masjid offers visitors a chance to connect with the city’s past. (AN photo)

The mosque’s foundations were laid in 1896 by Amanullah Khan, who later became the king of Afghanistan, alongside a prominent local religious figure, Peer Mehar Ali Shah of Golra Sharif in Islamabad. Since its completion, the mosque has been a central place of worship for Muslims in the city, whose numbers multiply in Ramadan.

“I am from the second generation (of devotees praying here). I am almost 60 years old now. (We) get a lot of spiritual satisfaction by praying here,” Mahmood told Arab News, explaining how the vastness of the space provides a sense of serenity.

FASTFACT

Surrounded by busy markets and towering buildings, the Markazi Jamia Masjid offers a glimpse into the rich religious and cultural heritage of Rawalpindi.

“Look at the sunlight, there are rows of prayer mats laid out in the courtyard. You can also get an idea from this; smaller mosques are confined on the sides.”

Worshippers offer prayers in the compound of the century-old Markazi Jamia Mosque in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on March 12, 2025, during Arab News’ Ramadan special coverage. (AN photo)

Mufti Muhammad Siddiq-ul-Hasnain Sialvi, who leads prayers at the mosque, shares a “deep connection” with the place.

“This mosque is the largest in the Rawalpindi division, accommodating up to 7,000 worshippers,” he said. “The arrangements for (late night) Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan are excellent, and we also have a grand arrangement for iftar. A large number of people perform itikaf (or seclusion in the last 10 days of Ramadan) here as well.”

Worshippers offer prayers in the compound of the century-old Markazi Jamia Mosque in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on March 12, 2025, during Arab News’ Ramadan special coverage. (AN photo)

The Markazi Jamia Masjid’s architectural beauty blends elements of Mughal architecture with local designs. The main prayer hall, dominated by three domes and several minarets, reflects the grandeur of traditional Mughal architecture, featuring arches and intricate floral motifs. Local adaptations imbue the mosque with a unique identity that speaks of Rawalpindi’s heritage.

The interior walls are adorned with hand-painted frescoes, some of which have been meticulously restored over the years. The frescoes, with their detailed floral patterns and geometric symmetry, evoke the splendor of Mughal craftsmanship. Although some of the vibrant blues, reds and yellows have faded with time, they retain their beauty, telling the story of an era long past.

The mosque’s spacious courtyard is the heart of the complex, where worshippers gather before entering the prayer hall. During Ramadan, the worship place comes alive, especially during iftar and Taraweeh as the open space allows for a comfortable congregation, offering a welcoming environment for all.

“There is more rush here in Ramadan, the open courtyard makes it comfortable for people,” said Waqas Iqbal, a jeweler who regularly visits the mosque. “You don’t feel cramped, whether it’s summer or winter.”

But for Mahmood, the mosque is a sanctuary of peace.

“The open courtyard and the peaceful surroundings make it a special place to pray,” he said, explaining how the vastness of the space provides a sense of serenity that “smaller mosques often lack.”

More than just a place of worship, Rawalpindi’s Markazi Jamia Masjid offers visitors a chance to connect with the city’s past. Its management, which falls under the Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department, ensures the mosque undergoes maintenance every 10 to 15 years, so that it stays in pristine condition for future generations.

“Many prominent personalities have offered prayers in this grand mosque and the imam of Haram Sharif (Grand Mosque in Makkah) has visited and led prayers here,” said Sialvi, who added that all these factors make it a special place for the residents of the neighborhood and an honor for Rawalpindi.

 


US starts to build submarine presence on strategic Australian coast under AUKUS

US starts to build submarine presence on strategic Australian coast under AUKUS
Updated 16 March 2025
Follow

US starts to build submarine presence on strategic Australian coast under AUKUS

US starts to build submarine presence on strategic Australian coast under AUKUS
  • Virginia class submarine is 'the most advanced warship in the world'
  • It has been exempted from Pentagon budget cuts as Trump administration focuses less on the Middle East and Europe, and more on the Indo Pacific

PERTH: In the control room of the American Virginia class attack submarine USS Minnesota, off the Western Australian coast, sonar operators adjust to the chatter of dolphins in new waters where the US submarine presence will soon grow significantly.
On a training exercise from its home port in Guam, USS Minnesota is a forerunner to four Virginia class submarines that will be hosted at a Western Australian naval base from 2027, under the AUKUS partnership to transfer nuclear submarine capability to Australia.
Crew use video game joysticks to interrogate screen images from a photonic mast that has replaced a periscope. Life aboard can mean up to 100 days without seeing sunlight, and intermittent communication with families via email to maintain stealth.
Commanding officer Jeffrey Corneille says the Virginia class submarine is “the most advanced warship in the world.”
“If someone wakes up and they say ‘Is today the day?’, we make sure that they say ‘Maybe not’,” he says, describing its deterrent role.
Around 50-80 United States navy personnel will arrive by the middle of the year at Western Australia’s HMAS Stirling base, which is undergoing an A$8 billion ($5 billion) upgrade to prepare for the “Submarine Rotational Force West,” Australian officials have said.
In two years, those numbers will swell to hundreds of US navy personnel and support crew.
The location of HMAS Stirling, closer to Asia and the Indian Ocean than the US Pacific fleet headquarters in Hawaii, is strategically important to the United States, said Peter Dean, director of Foreign Policy and Defense at the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney.
“Defending the Indian Ocean against rising Chinese capabilities and power is important,” he said.
The Virginia submarine program has been exempted from Pentagon budget cuts as the Trump administration focuses less on the Middle East and Europe, and more on the Indo Pacific, he said.
The Trump administration’s number three Pentagon official, Elbridge Colby, told a US Senate confirmation hearing this month the attack submarines are “absolutely essential” for making the defense of Taiwan viable, and production rates must be lifted to first meet US needs and also to fulfill its obligations to sell submarines to Australia under the AUKUS pact.
The USS Minnesota moved its home port from Hawaii to the US Pacific territory of Guam, closer to Taiwan and the only forward-deployed US submarine base, in November.
A Chinese navy task group that circumnavigated Australia in February and March, holding unprecedented live fire drills off the east coast that disrupted commercial airlines, before passing Western Australia to coincide with the USS Minnesota’s port call and heading into the Indian Ocean, has highlighted China’s ambition to operate more frequently in Australia’s neighborhood, Australian officials said.
Under AUKUS, Australia’s most expensive defense project, Australia will buy two used Virginia class submarines next decade, and build a new class of nuclear powered submarine with Britain, to replace its aging diesel powered fleet.
In preparation, there are 115 Australians in the US nuclear navy training pipeline or on Virginia submarines, plus 130 training for nuclear submarine maintenance at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, US navy officials said.


Trump and Putin expected to speak this week as US pushes for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. (File/AFP)
US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. (File/AFP)
Updated 16 March 2025
Follow

Trump and Putin expected to speak this week as US pushes for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. (File/AFP)
  • Witkoff, speaking after what he called positive talks with Putin in Moscow, told CNN that he was hopeful of real progress to end the conflict

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is expected to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this week on ways to end the three-year war in Ukraine, US envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN on Sunday after returning from what he described as a “positive” meeting with Putin in Moscow.
“I expect that there will be a call with both presidents this week, and we’re also continuing to engage and have conversation with the Ukrainians,” said Witkoff, who met with Putin on Thursday night, adding that he thought the talk between Trump and Putin would be “really good and positive.”
Trump is trying to win Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week, as both sides continued trading heavy aerial strikes through the weekend and Russia moved closer to ejecting Ukrainian forces from their months-old foothold in the western Russian region of Kursk.
Trump said in a social media post on Friday that there was “a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end.” He also said he had “strongly requested” that Putin not kill the thousands of Ukrainian troops that Russia is pushing out of Kursk.
Putin said he would honor Trump’s request to spare the lives of the Ukrainian troops if they surrendered. The Kremlin also said on Friday that Putin had sent Trump a message about his ceasefire plan via Witkoff, expressing “cautious optimism” that a deal could be reached to end the conflict.
In separate appearances on Sunday shows, Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, emphasized that there are still challenges to be worked out before Russia agrees to a ceasefire, much less a final peaceful resolution to the war.
Asked on ABC whether the US would accept a peace deal in which Russia was allowed to keep stretches of eastern Ukraine that it has seized, Waltz replied, “Are we going to drive every Russian off of every inch of Ukrainian soil?” He added that the negotiations had to be grounded in “reality.”
Rubio told CBS a final peace deal would “involve a lot of hard work, concessions from both Russia and Ukraine,” and that it would be difficult to even begin those negotiations “as long as they’re shooting at each other.”

Additional measures 
Trump has warned that unless a ceasefire is reached, the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv has the potential to spiral into World War Three.
His administration took steps last week to induce further cooperation on a ceasefire. On Saturday, Trump said that General Keith Kellogg’s role had been narrowed from special envoy for Ukraine and Russia to only Ukraine, after Russian officials sought to exclude him from peace talks.
A license allowing US energy transactions with Russian financial institutions expired last week, according to the Trump administration, raising pressure on Putin to come to a peace agreement over Ukraine.
The US Treasury Department is looking at possible sanctions on Russian oil majors and oilfield service companies, a source familiar with the matter said, deepening steps already taken by Biden. 


Indonesian NGOs to build new women’s and children’s hospital in Gaza City 

Indonesian NGOs to build new women’s and children’s hospital in Gaza City 
Updated 16 March 2025
Follow

Indonesian NGOs to build new women’s and children’s hospital in Gaza City 

Indonesian NGOs to build new women’s and children’s hospital in Gaza City 
  • New healthcare facility will be the second in the Gaza Strip to carry Indonesia’s name, after the Indonesian hospital in the enclave’s north
  • Hospital will be on a 5,000 square-meter plot of land donated by the Palestinian Ministry of Health

Jakarta: Construction on a new women’s and children’s hospital in Gaza City, funded by the Indonesian people and NGOs, will begin next month as part of a national campaign to support Palestine. 

The 402 billion rupiah ($24.5 million) project is organized by Jakarta-based Aqsa Working Group and Maemuna Center Indonesia with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The hospital — which will be called the Indonesian Mother and Child Hospital, or RSIA Indonesia — will be built on a 5,000 square-meter plot of land near Al-Rantisi Hospital in the city’s Nasser neighborhood, which was donated by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. 

“As we all know, the majority of victims of Zionist Israel’s genocide in Gaza are children and women … We hope this hospital will help provide healthcare for children and women in Gaza,” AWG chairman Muhammad Anshorullah told Arab News on Sunday. 

The new healthcare facility will be the second to bear Indonesia’s name, after the Indonesia Hospital in north Gaza, which was funded by the Indonesian NGO Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, or MER-C, and has been open since late 2015. 

Since Israel began its assault on Gaza in October 2023, the Indonesia Hospital has been one of the last functioning health facilities in the north. 

“We hope that RSIA will only strengthen the strong reputation that MER-C has built through the Indonesia Hospital in northern Gaza. The Indonesia Hospital is a symbol of the friendship and brotherhood of Indonesia and Palestine, God willing, RSIA will only strengthen that bond,” Anshorullah said. 

A staunch supporter of Palestine, the Indonesian government and people see Palestinian statehood as being mandated by their own constitution, which calls for the abolition of colonialism.

Last month, the foreign affairs ministry, the Indonesian Ulema Council and Indonesia’s National Alms Agency launched a solidarity campaign to raise $200 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinians and support the rebuilding of Gaza. 

Several Indonesian NGOs have pledged contributions for RSIA fundraising, while donations have also been made by the Indonesian people.  

“One of the big projects for Gaza that have been proposed and will be handled by Indonesian charity and humanitarian organizations is the development of the Indonesian Mother and Child Hospital in Gaza City,” Ahrul Tsani, Middle East director at the foreign affairs ministry, said in a statement. 

“This is an important part in Indonesia’s humanitarian diplomacy in Palestine, and a real product of Indonesia’s support as a nation.” 

Israeli forces have killed more than 48,000 people and injured more than 111,000, although the real death toll is feared to be much higher. According to the UN Human Rights Office, women and children make up nearly 70 percent of the fatalities it has verified since October 2023. 

Maemuna Center and AWG will dispatch a team to survey the location in the next few weeks, with plans for construction to begin by the end of April at the latest. 

“The construction of RSIA is not just a matter of building a health infrastructure, but it is a real form of solidarity from Indonesia to Palestine,” said Onny Firyanti Hamidi, head of Maemuna Center Indonesia. 

“This is a concrete step to ensure that the women and children of Gaza will have access to proper healthcare.”

 


Elderly UK couple held by Taliban ‘moved to high security jail’: media

Peter and Barbie Reynolds. (Sarah Entwistle)
Peter and Barbie Reynolds. (Sarah Entwistle)
Updated 16 March 2025
Follow

Elderly UK couple held by Taliban ‘moved to high security jail’: media

Peter and Barbie Reynolds. (Sarah Entwistle)
  • Daughter expressed concern for the health of her father who will turn 80 in April
  • She said that according to information provided by a “reliable source” he had been “beaten and shackled”

LONDON: An elderly British couple arrested by Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have been separated and moved to a high-security prison, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who are in their 70s, were detained last month with an American friend, Faye Hall, as they traveled to their home in central Bamyan province.
Their daughter Sarah Entwistle described her parents’ alleged transfer to a heavily guarded prison in an undisclosed location as a “shocking escalation,” the Sunday Times reported.
In particular she expressed concern for the health of her father who will turn 80 in April.
She said that according to information provided by a “reliable source” he had been “beaten and shackled.”
He was in “immense pain” and her mother, 75, had been told she could no longer see him.
“We hear he now has a chest infection, a double eye infection and serious digestive issues due to poor nutrition. Without immediate access to necessary medication, his life is in serious danger,” she told the Sunday Times.
“Our desperate appeal to the Taliban is that they release them to their home, where they have the medication he needs to survive,” she added.
The Reynolds, who married in Kabul in 1970, have run school training programs in the south Asian country for 18 years.
They remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 when the British embassy withdrew its staff.
Following their arrest on February 1, the couple’s home had been ransacked and staff questioned over whether there was a missionary component to the training, the report said.
The suggestion is strongly denied by the staff and family.
The Taliban’s interior ministry has confirmed the detention of two Britons, a Chinese-American and their Afghan translator arrested “based on certain considerations.”
“Efforts are underway to resolve this issue,” a spokesperson said in late February, without identifying the detainees.
Taliban leaders swept back to power in 2021 ousting the US-backed government and implementing a strict interpretation of Islamic law, despite promises not to return to the brutality displayed when they ruled in the 1990s.
They have since imposed broad restrictions on women and girls, barring them from education beyond the age of 12 and squeezing them out of jobs and public life with rules the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid.”