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  • Kew Gardens’ tropical Palm House to shut for five years for net zero makeover | Kew Gardens

    Kew Gardens’ tropical Palm House to shut for five years for net zero makeover | Kew Gardens

    It has been the tropical jewel in one of the UK’s most famous gardens for more than 175 years, and now the Palm House in the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is to get a green makeover.

    The attraction, which houses Kew’s tropical rainforest, will close for five years to allow engineers and botanists to transform it into the first net zero glasshouse in the world.

    The £50m plan will result in 1,300 plants – including the world’s oldest potted plant, a gigantic Encephalartos altensteinii that dates from 1775 – being removed from the iron and glass structure and rehoused in temporary greenhouses until their new digs are ready. The plants include 45 plant species on the verge of extinction, and while some can be dug up and placed in containers for relocation, others will be delicately propagated.

    The imposing Grade I-listed Victorian structure will have each of its 16,000 panes of glass replaced and recycled, while its soaring wrought-iron frame will be stripped, repaired and encased with a high-tech waterproof paint in the exact shade of white used when the Palm House was first opened to the public in 1848.

    But perhaps the biggest change will be the replacing of the Palm House’s ancient gas-fired boiler system and leaky pipework with state-of-the-art air source and water source heat pumps.

    According to the gardens’ accounts and annual report, Kew generated £369m for the UK economy in 2023. The renovation of the Palm House and its little sister, the Waterlily House, which account for more than a fifth of Kew Gardens’ carbon emissions, is part of its plan to become climate positive by 2030. Other carbon reduction changes will reduce energy use by 49% across the 200-hectare (500-acre) site.

    Tom Pickering, the head of glasshouse collections at Kew, said: “At the heart of this project is the need to protect the extraordinary plant collections housed in the Palm House and Waterlily House. Besides being beautiful, many have cultural, scientific and conservation value, and replacing these collections is unimaginable. Achieving net zero in these historic buildings is an unprecedented task, it’s a complex challenge which must consider the interplay of horticulture, climatic control, engineering, and architecture.”

    The redesigned interior of the Palm House will be more accessible and have more places for visitors to sit and wonder at the tropical rainforest collections. Planning permission for the project has been submitted, with funding coming from central government, the Julia Rausing Trust, the World Monuments Fund and other donors.

    The renovation is likely to start in 2027, with the exact date dependent on planning permission and funding.

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  • Olivia Rodrigo’s Guitarist on Playing With Robert Smith at Glastonbury

    Olivia Rodrigo’s Guitarist on Playing With Robert Smith at Glastonbury

    The surprise appearance of The Cure’s Robert Smith during Olivia Rodrigo’s Glastonbury 2025 set has been widely celebrated by fans and critics alike, but few were as overcome with emotion as Rodrigo’s own guitarist, Arianna Powell.

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    In a new interview with Guitar World, Powell recalled the moment she first found out Smith would be joining them onstage for duets of The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” and “Just Like Heaven” at Worthy Farm last month.

    “We found out in Nashville when we were rehearsing for Bonnaroo, which ended up getting cancelled,” Powell said. “Stacy [Jones], our music director, came and told us, and was like, ‘This is very secret – you cannot tell anyone, but he’s going to be joining us.’ And I swear to God, I started crying. Like, I started tearing up.”

    Powell, a longtime fan of The Cure, said the news hit her particularly hard because of her deep admiration for Smith’s guitar work. “I’m a huge fan, especially those guitar parts,” she shared. “I love, love, love the guitar parts, specifically in those songs, especially ‘Friday I’m in Love’. So I was just so stoked to get to actually play that with the artist.”

    Beyond the onstage collaboration, Powell spoke about Smith’s generosity and warmth backstage. “He was so cool. He was leaving his dressing room door open for us to hang out. He wanted to talk and be social,” she said.

    “Through conversations with him, he was just saying, ‘It’s just another show.’ And he was talking about how much he enjoys performing, and he loves it every time. That really inspired me and my energy for that night. Like, ‘Yeah, it’s just another show – and I love doing this.’ The collective energy of the band that day was really infectious.”

    The performance also marked a milestone for Rodrigo, who has spent 2025 on a global tour supporting her sophomore album GUTS. The LP, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2023, has seen a resurgence in streams following her Glastonbury appearance, with “vampire” and “bad idea right?” climbing back into the upper reaches of the Billboard Global 200.

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  • Milky Way’s hidden neighbors revealed

    Milky Way’s hidden neighbors revealed

    Scientists at Durham University used powerful supercomputers and fresh math tricks to peer into the cosmic unknown. What did they find? Possibly up to 100 tiny, hidden galaxies, nicknamed “orphans”, lurking near our Milky Way, quietly orbiting like celestial wallflowers.

    Spotting these galaxies could be a big deal. Why? Because it would strengthen the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) theory, our current best guess at how galaxies grow and the universe ticks.

    According to ΛCDM:

    • Just 5% of the universe is made of familiar stuff like atoms.
    • About 25% is mysterious cold dark matter.
    • And a whopping 70%? That’s dark energy, the silent architect shaping space itself.

    Nearby dwarf galaxy will hit Milky Way, wake up the black hole

    Imagine the universe as a giant dance floor where galaxies are the dancers, and dark matter halos are the invisible partners guiding their moves.

    Most galaxies out there are tiny dwarf galaxies. They often twirl around heavier ones, like our Milky Way, as satellite dancers.

    Aquarius-A-L1
    The dark matter distribution of a Milky Way mass halo in a Lambda-cold dark matter (LCDM) cosmological simulation. This is the highest resolution simulation of a MW-mass dark matter halo ever performed, called Aquarius-A-L1. The MW halo (in the centre) is surrounded by myriad substructures, a key prediction of the “cold dark matter” model. Some of these subhalos host a satellite galaxy within them that could be observable.

    Credit: The Aquarius simulation, the Virgo Consortium/Dr Mark Lovell.

    But here’s the twist: Scientists noticed a puzzling absence of these little partners in both simulations and telescope sightings. According to the leading theory, Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM), way more of them should exist.

    New research reveals that many of these missing satellites have been so tugged and stretched by the gravity of our Milky Way that they lost their original dark matter halos. Now barely visible, these faint survivors are dubbed “orphan galaxies”, ghostly dancers still floating around, unnoticed.

    Milky Way may have 100 faint satellite galaxies

    If telescopes finally spot them, it would not only fill a cosmic mystery gap, but also give a big thumbs-up to ΛCDM as the theory that explains how our vast universe organizes itself.

    Using a powerful new technique, scientists at Durham University hunted down some of the Milky Way’s most elusive neighbors: faint, forgotten “orphan galaxies.” Their research shows that many more satellite galaxies should be out there, hidden in plain sight.

    AqA1map_1panel_orphansAqA1map_1panel_orphans
    The dark matter distribution of a Milky Way mass halo in a Lambda-cold dark matter (LCDM) cosmological simulation. This is the highest resolution simulation of a MW-mass dark matter halo ever performed, called Aquarius-A-L1. The MW halo (in the centre) is surrounded by myriad substructures, a key prediction of the “cold dark matter” model. Some of these subhalos host a satellite galaxy within them that could be observable. The new predicted Milky Way “orphan satellite” galaxies are marked with an ‘x’ symbol.

    Credit
    The Aquarius simulation, the Virgo Consortium/Dr Mark Lovell

    With next-gen instruments like the Rubin Observatory’s LSST camera, now peering into the universe, astronomers may finally spot these ghostly galaxies for the first time.

    Dr. Isabel Santos-Santos explains that while we know of about 60 satellite galaxies around the Milky Way, there could be dozens more quietly orbiting nearby, just too faint to see until now.

    Unraveling the mystery of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies

    If these predictions hold, it’s a big win for the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) theory, which helps explain how the cosmos builds galaxies and structures.

    Observational astronomers are now comparing real telescope data to Durham’s predictions, and if these galaxies do pop up, it could unravel deeper secrets about how the universe came to look the way it does today.

    The Lambda Cold Dark Matter (ΛCDM) model is like the universe’s rulebook, explaining how galaxies grow, spread, and evolve on a massive scale. It’s passed a lot of tests and forms the backbone of modern cosmology.

    But recently, tiny troublemakers called dwarf galaxies have thrown some shade on this cosmic blueprint.

    Is the Milky Way galaxy special?

    Durham scientists say even our best simulations, those that factor in stars, gas, and dark matter, can’t zoom in on these faint galaxies near the Milky Way. They’re just too dim and too detailed, slipping through the cracks like intergalactic ninjas.

    Plus, those simulations struggle to track the long, slow dance of dwarf galaxies and their mini dark matter halos as they orbit the Milky Way over billions of years. It’s like trying to follow fireflies in fog using pixelated binoculars.

    In galaxy simulations, sometimes the dark matter “shells” that cradle galaxies, called halos, get accidentally erased by technical glitches. This leaves some galaxies “orphaned,” as if they’ve lost their protective cosmic coats.

    But Durham scientists didn’t settle for flawed models. They teamed up supercomputer simulations with sharp mathematical insights to fix the glitch and spot these hidden galactic loners.
    Their tools:

    Aquarius Simulation: Think of it as the most detailed zoom-in ever on the Milky Way’s invisible skeleton.

    GALFORM: A powerful galaxy-building blueprint that tracks how galaxies take shape, evolve, and shine (or barely glow).

    The origin of ultra-diffuse galaxies explained

    What did they discover? Many dark matter halos, mini cosmic cocoons, have been circling the Milky Way for billions of years. Over time, the intense gravity stripped them of their material, turning them into tiny, dim satellites that are tough to spot but still out there.

    Durham researchers believe the Milky Way has been hiding a crowd of 80 to 100 extra satellite galaxies, lurking quietly in its neighborhood, too faint to notice before.

    Around 30 tiny new candidates have already popped up, sparking debate: are they true dwarf galaxies, wrapped in dark matter halos? Or just tightly packed groups of stars called globular clusters?

    These mysterious objects are incredibly faint, but Durham’s team thinks they might belong to the missing galaxy family they predicted—hidden outliers waiting to be confirmed.

    Co-researcher Professor Carlos Frenk, of the Institute for Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, Durham University, said: “If the population of very faint satellites that we are predicting is discovered with new data, it would be a remarkable success of the LCDM theory of galaxy formation.

    “It would also provide a clear illustration of the power of physics and mathematics. Using the laws of physics, solved using a large supercomputer and mathematical modelling, we can make precise predictions that astronomers, equipped with new, powerful telescopes, can test. It doesn’t get much better than this.”

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  • 2 cops shot dead by ‘terrorists’ in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan: police – Pakistan

    2 cops shot dead by ‘terrorists’ in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan: police – Pakistan

    Two policemen were gunned down in a “terrorist” attack on Wednesday in Kulachi area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, police said.

    Speaking to Dawn.com, DI Khan Police Spokesperson, Yaqoob Khan, said, “The two police personnel were on their way to buy food when the terrorists opened fire on them.”

    The deceased have been identified as head constable Ghulam Muhammad and constable Shahzad, both of whom were ex-servicemen.

    Following the attack, police and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel tracked down the terrorists and killed one of them during an operation, while the other two, though injured, fled.

    “Weapons and ammunition have been recovered from the slain terrorist, while a search operation is underway for the terrorists at large,” according to the spokesperson.

    Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, paying tribute to the martyred personnel.

    He saluted the “sacrifices made by the brave sons” of KP in their fight against terrorism. Expressing sympathy for the families of the deceased, he said that the government stands with them at this difficult time.

    Naqvi vowed that “their sacrifices will not go in vain”.

    “KP police is leading the fight against terrorism in the country,” he noted.

    Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. KP has seen an increasing trend of terrorism-related incidents, with a series of attacks across Peshawar, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, and Bajaur in the past few months.

    On June 21, KP Police killed a terrorist and injured two others belonging to the TTP group in Dera Ismail Khan as they attempted to attack the police.

    On June 3, terrorist attacks on two police stations in KP’s Bajaur and Bannu districts injured four police personnel. In May, two policemen were martyred and two were injured in a suicide attack in Peshawar, while in a separate incident, two cops lost their lives as a result of an attack on a police checkpoint in Bannu.

    Faced with increasing attacks by militants, security forces have also intensified counterterrorism operations in KP and Balochistan.

    On July 5, three suspected terrorists belonging to the TTP’s Tipu Gul group were killed in a joint operation by the CTD.

    Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081.

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  • Post your questions for Craig David | Craig David

    Post your questions for Craig David | Craig David

    It is, incredibly, 25 years since Craig David broke out with his debut album Born to Do It, a classic of British garage and R&B. The Southampton-born musician has since proven to be one of the former genre’s greatest ambassadors: he has said his recent single, Wake Up, is about “respecting my garage roots” and the importance of preserving genres and cultures “for generations to come”.

    That mission feels typical of David, a tireless and earnest pop presence due to release his ninth album, Commitment, next month. You can see the esteem he commands from the collaborators on it, among them Toddla T, Wretch 32, Jojo and Tiwa Savage. “Making music still turns me into that giggly, excited little kid who wants to feel the magic of it all,” he has said.

    You can ask David about his quarter-century in the game – from joining up with the Artful Dodger to breaking the US, getting permission from David Bowie to sample Just Dance, performing at the Queen’s platinum jubilee and campaigning for more social housing for Shelter – when he takes the Guardian’s reader interview. Post your questions in the comments by 22 July and the best answers will feature in a future edition of Film & Music.

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  • Billy McFarland sells Fyre Festival brand on eBay for over $245,000

    Billy McFarland sells Fyre Festival brand on eBay for over $245,000

    Billy McFarland, the controversial figure behind the infamous 2017 Fyre Festival, has officially sold the rights to the event’s brand on eBay for US$245,300. As reported by NY Daily News, the auction included intellectual property, trademarks, and social media accounts tied to the Fyre name, and drew 175 bids before concluding on Tuesday afternoon.

    McFarland, who previously served four years in prison for wire fraud related to the original Fyre Festival, had attempted to relaunch the event multiple times without success. One such attempt was a promoted May 2025 revival in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The promotional campaign included a website, named producers and partners, and ticket packages priced between US$1,400 and US$1.1 million. However, the event quietly faded without any follow-through.

    In a livestream during the eBay auction, McFarland appeared disappointed with the final result, commenting, “Damn. This sucks, it’s so low,” when bids surpassed US$240,000. According to Rolling Stone, the sale will barely make a dent in his outstanding US$26 million restitution order tied to his criminal conviction.

    Following the original Fyre Festival disaster—which was chronicled in the Netflix documentary The Greatest Party That Never Happened and Hulu’s Fyre Fraud—McFarland insisted there was still public interest in the brand. In a 2024 interview with The Music Network podcast, he said, “The idea of Fyre 2 is still there. People want to escape reality for three days.”

    In a more recent Instagram statement, McFarland announced his decision to step away, writing: “This brand is bigger than any one person. It’s clear that I need to step back and allow a new team to move forward independently.”

    The identity of the buyer remains unknown.

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  • EU Trade Chief Heads to Washington for Talks – The Wall Street Journal

    1. EU Trade Chief Heads to Washington for Talks  The Wall Street Journal
    2. EU threatens €72 billion tariffs on US goods amid Stalled Trade Talks  Ptv.com.pk
    3. Statement by President von der Leyen on EU-U.S. trade  European Commission
    4. EU ‘holding back’ in search of tariff deal with Trump  Dawn
    5. EU warns that its trade with the US could be effectively wiped out if Trump follows through on his threat  CNN

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  • Global Top TV Brand Samsung Unveils 2025 TV Line-Up with Exclusive Launch Offer in South Africa – Samsung Newsroom South Africa

    Global Top TV Brand Samsung Unveils 2025 TV Line-Up with Exclusive Launch Offer in South Africa – Samsung Newsroom South Africa

    Experience the Future of Home Entertainment and Get Rewarded from 16 July to 11 August 2025

    Samsung South Africa will be officially launching its cutting-edge 2025 TV line-up on July 16, reaffirming the company’s global leadership in television innovation for an unprecedented 19 consecutive years (according to Omdia – market research firm). This accolade is also backed by market research firm FutureSource Consulting, naming Samsung the world’s top soundbar brand for the 11th year in a row, further strengthening its leadership in the premium audio industry since 2014. To mark this launch and deliver even more value to its customers, Samsung is introducing the Samsung TV Early-Order and Launch Promotion, running from 16 July to 11 August 2025.

     

     

    This exclusive promotion offers early buyers the chance to receive free premium gifts that perfectly complement the immersive experience delivered by Samsung’s 2025 TVs. These include the latest Galaxy tablets, soundbars, smartwatches, and wireless earbuds – all designed to enhance your smart home ecosystem.

     

    Get More When You Order Early

    Customers who purchase a qualifying TV from Samsung stores, online and any participating retailer during the limited promotion period will get more value for their money.

     

    Unmatched Innovation Across the 2025 Line-up

    The new range features Samsung’s most advanced TV technologies yet – including Neo QLED, QLED and OLED panels powered by Vision AI. These displays adapt to your environment and viewing habits, delivering stunning visuals, exceptional clarity, and intelligent upscaling across 4K and 8K resolutions. Whether you’re watching blockbuster films, sports, or gaming, the 2025 line-up offers an unmatched, immersive entertainment experience.

     

    The new 2025 TV product line-up includes the below models at these recommended retail prices[1];

    • 100 inch 4K Neo QLED Mini LED (QA100QN80FKXXA) – R99 9991
    • Neo QLED 8K (QA75QN900FKXXA) – R149 9991
    • 77 inch S95F 4K OLED (QA77S95FAKXXA) – R99 9991
    • 65 inch 4K Neo QLED Mini LED QA65QN90FAKXXA – R39 9991
    • 55 inch 4K Neo QLED Mini LED QA55QN90FAKXXA – R24 9991

     

    How to Redeem

    To qualify, customers must purchase one of the listed models from a participating retailer during the Promotion Period. Redemption of gifts must take place 16 July – 11 September 2025 via the official Samsung redemption.

    Don’t miss this opportunity to upgrade your home entertainment setup and get rewarded. With Samsung’s 2025 TV range, the future of smart viewing has arrived, and it’s bigger, brighter, and smarter than ever. The next big thing in television – Vision AI is here.

     

    Click here to learn more about the offer – Terms and Conditions apply.

     

    [1] Recommended retail prices only. Prices may vary per retailer.

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  • US lawmakers warn Pakistan over transnational repression, hint at possible sanctions – Pakistan

    US lawmakers warn Pakistan over transnational repression, hint at possible sanctions – Pakistan

    The US Congress may soon urge President Donald Trump’s administration to consider imposing sanctions on countries that suppress religious freedom and violate human rights, Republican Congressman Christopher H. Smith suggested during a congressional hearing on Pakistan on Tuesday.

    “One of the biggest disappointments — regardless of who is in the White House or at the State Department — is the absence of sanctions,” said Smith, who co-chairs the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC).

    Smith recalled that the only individual ever sanctioned under US religious freedom laws was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following the 2002 Gujarat riots. “We are going to call on the Irfa office to consider imposing [sanctions] — especially in light of the terrible acts committed against people of various faiths,” he said.

    The Irfa office, based at the State Department, enforces the International Religious Freedom Act, which authorises the US government to designate and penalise countries that engage in or tolerate severe religious persecution.

    “That’s it. We’ve got 18 sanctions here, and we are going to impose them on you,” Smith declared during the hearing on Pakistan’s current political and human rights situation.

    Amnesty International’s advocacy director for Europe and Central Asia, Ben Linden; PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari; law firm Perseus Strategies’ Managing Director Jared Genser; and Afghanistan Impact Network founder Sadiq Amini provided their testimonies during the hearing.

    Although the TLHRC does not directly recommend sanctions, Smith’s remarks were widely seen as a signal that such measures may be under consideration if current trends persist.

    His Democratic counterpart, Congressman James McGovern, echoed the concern. “A vibrant Pakistani community in Massachusetts engages me all the time, and quite frankly, they are worried about the signals coming from our government right now,” he said.

    Speaking about the political climate in Pakistan, McGovern added: “They need to know that people are watching. They need to know we don’t like what we are hearing.”

    The bipartisan hearing focused on civil liberties and political freedoms in Pakistan, highlighting reports of repression, persecution of minorities, and efforts to silence dissidents abroad.

    Amnesty’s Ben Linden opened his testimony by raising concerns over the situation in Balochistan.

    “Dr Mahrang and other Baloch detainees should be freed,” he said, referring to the rights activist who has been in prison for more than three months over cases on allegedly “attacking” the Quetta Civil Hospital and “inciting people to violence”.

    A day ago, a campaign letter by Amnesty International called upon Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti to “release all detained Baloch activists”.

    Linden warned that recent crackdowns on PTI supporters should be seen in the context of a broader assault on fundamental rights.

    “Ahmadis and other religious minorities are being targeted while local authorities fail to protect them,” he said. “Vaguely worded blasphemy laws are being weaponised by majoritarian religious groups, while the accused have few means to defend themselves.”

    In 2024 alone, over 300 new blasphemy cases were registered — most against Muslims. “Several of the accused were killed extrajudicially,” Linden said, calling the trend “a tragedy”.

    He also condemned the recent blocking of US-based YouTube channels critical of Pakistan’s military, describing the move as “totally unacceptable”.

    However, Jared Genser of Perseus Strategies stressed that Washington could not afford to disengage entirely.

    “We don’t act that way with any regime. We have to engage. The key is for President Trump and Secretary [of State] Marco Rubio to say very clearly: we want a strong relationship with Pakistan, but this is what needs to be done to get there. And that includes releasing [ex-prime minister] Imran Khan and other political prisoners,” Genser said.

    He noted: “We need to talk about the tragedy that Pakistan is today in terms of human rights. The Pakistani diaspora is a ray of hope.”

    McGovern concurred: “We need to talk. We need to engage. And we need to be talking about political prisoners, the future of Imran Khan … but also how you do it.”

    The hearing also addressed last week’s White House meeting between Trump and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

    Bukhari, a former close aide to Imran, told the panel: “President Trump wanted to meet someone who is calling the shots. That’s why he met the army chief.”

    Bukhari claimed nearly 200 politically motivated cases had been filed against Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi. He alleged that “fundamental rights had been suspended” in Pakistan, the media silenced, and judicial independence undermined through “coercive” amendments.

    Sadiq Amini, founder of the Afghanistan Impact Network, focused on what he called Pakistan’s “duplicity” in its relationship with the United States, claiming that ex-prime minister Imran was “used” to mislead Trump during his first term.

    “After the announcement of his South Asia strategy, [Imran] Khan rushed to Washington with a message of peace from the Taliban — a message that was actually a carefully crafted deception by his Russian counterparts. He convinced President Trump to pursue a peace deal with the Taliban, which only empowered them.”

    He argued that the peace process ultimately failed, leading to the US withdrawal and the rise of a “gender apartheid regime” in Kabul.

    Amini further alleged that Imran, as prime minister, acted as a spokesperson for the Taliban, promoting them as an indigenous movement serving Afghan interests.

    He warned that Pakistan’s leadership could not win US trust by imprisoning a few individuals like Imran or former spy chief Faiz Hameed. “Pakistani leaders, both military and civilian, complain about the Taliban threat. But even now, they say the Taliban is good for Afghanistan but bad for Pakistan. That’s a blatant display of duplicity.”

    He also denounced Pakistan’s detention and deportation of Afghan refugees as “shameful and inhumane”, and called on the US to reassess Islamabad’s commitment to democracy.

    In earlier remarks, TLHRC Co-chair Smith warned that the US “cannot stand by” while military influence allegedly subverts civilian rule in Pakistan.

    Earlier on Tuesday, US lawmakers also heard disturbing accounts of harassment faced by Pakistani dissidents in the US. Multiple speakers alleged that within 48 hours of a protest outside the Pakistani Embassy in Washington on June 14, “family members of critics were abducted in Pakistan.”

    Lawmakers, including Democratic representatives Jimmy Panetta, Suhas Subramanyam and Greg Casar, expressed support for safeguarding the civil liberties of Pakistani Americans.

    In March, Panetta and Republican Congressman Joe Wilson had introduced a bipartisan bill in the US House of Representatives, calling for sanctions on Pakistani state functionaries over alleged human rights violations.

    A month before that, US Congressmen Joe Wilson and August Pfluger had written to Rubio, urging him to engage with Pakistan to secure Imran’s release.

    During the commission’s hearing, speakers also urged Congress to oversee foreign surveillance operations on US soil and to press technology companies to resist censorship demands from foreign military courts.

    Established in 2008 and named after Holocaust survivor and former House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Lantos, the TLHRC holds bipartisan hearings to guide US human rights policy.

    Tuesday’s session underscored longstanding concerns about Pakistan’s democratic trajectory and signalled growing interest in potential policy responses — including targeted sanctions.

    Earlier this month, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed its deep concern over the steadily shrinking space for human rights advocacy. Its annual report for 2024 also highlighted a troubling dec­line in civic freedoms, deteriorating law and order, and a marked strain on federalism.

    Rights tracker Civicus Monitor has listed Pakistan’s status as “repressed” and added the country to its human rights watchlist for 2025 due to a narrowing civil space.

    Washington DC-based organisation Freedom House ranked Pakistan as “partly free” in political rights and civil liberties in its latest annual report, with the country losing three points from the year prior.

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  • Scout Moor wind farm plans attacked as ‘environmental vandalism’

    Scout Moor wind farm plans attacked as ‘environmental vandalism’

    Richard Stead

    BBC News, Manchester

    Cubico A computer generated image of the proposed Scout Moor Two windfarm.   There are several large white turbines spaced out across the moor.Cubico

    A CGI image of the proposed Scout Moor Two windfarm on Rooley Moor above Rochdale

    Campaigners fighting plans to build what could become England’s largest onshore wind farm have described the proposals as “environmental vandalism”.

    Scout Moor Two, which would be built on Rooley Moor above Rochdale in Greater Manchester, would generate enough electricity to power 100,000 homes each year.

    Renewable energy firm Cubico wants to build up to 18 turbines, each of which would be 590ft (180m) in height – significantly taller than Blackpool Tower, which stands at 519ft (158m).

    Cubico spokesman Peter Rowe said: “The turbines are widely used across Europe and it’s much more efficient for them to be taller.”

    Photograph of Peter Rowe from the renewable energy firm Cubico. The picture is taken with Salford Quays and the Imperial War Museum North in the background.

    Peter Rowe from the renewable energy firm Cubico wants to build Scout Moor Two

    The company expects to submit its plans to Rochdale Council and Rossendale Council in neighbouring Lancashire in the next few weeks.

    Costing about £140m, Scout Moor Two would be built next to the Cotton Famine Road, which was built by local mill workers who opposed slavery during the American Civil War in the 1860s.

    Cubico, which would sell electricity generated by Scout Moor Two to the National Grid at a fixed price, is hoping for planning approval to be granted in the summer of 2026.

    The original Scout Moor wind farm was built in 2008, seven years before an effective ban on onshore wind farms was implemented by the Conservative government.

    Those restrictions have been lifted as part of Labour’s ambitions for less than 5% of the UK’s electricity to come from fossil fuels by 2030.

    Mr Rowe said: “It is a challenging target in terms of the scale of its ambition but it needs projects like Scout Moor to make it happen.”

    In 2024, renewable energy sources generated 56% of Great Britain’s electricity.

    Photograph of Stuart Davies from the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Forum. The picture is taken on the Cotton Famine Road above Rochdale. He has swept-back grey hair and is wearing an open-necked checked shirt in shades of blue, green and purple.

    Stuart Davies, 66, said he had walked on the moors above Rochdale all his life

    Stuart Davies, from the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Forum, said he was horrified by the plans.

    “I used to walk these moors with my dad and used to go catching rabbits,” said the 66-year-old. “The natural wilderness has been part of my life.

    “To have those massive industrial turbines on these moors is just environmental vandalism. It’s just going to ruin the place forever.”

    Photograph of Steve Davison from the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Forum. The picture is taken with the existing Scout Moor wind farm in the background.

    Steve Davison from the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Forum

    The turbines’ construction would involve creating access roads across the moors.

    Another member of the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Forum, Steve Davison, said such tracks had become a magnet for off-road bikers at other wind farms.

    The 63-year-old said: “There would be miles of extra tracks on the moors and the off-road biking went crazy when the original Scout Moor wind farm was built.”

    Cubico said it would “work with the community and the police to address illegal off-road biking. We can also use signage and fencing”.

    Photograph of Fran Healey from the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Forum. The picture is taken with the Cotton Famine Road above Rochdale in the background.

    Fran Healey regularly goes running on the Cotton Famine Road across Rooley Moor above Rochdale

    Fran Healey said she regularly goes jogging on the Cotton Famine Road.

    “I live at the bottom of the hill and regularly run up to the top,” said the 49-year-old.

    “You can hear the skylarks singing and the curlews. It’s just an open, peaceful, calm space.

    “The thought of wind turbines here is quite upsetting. It’ll change the landscape forever.”

    Cubico has pledged to help conserve the landscape.

    A spokesperson said: “There’s been a lot of damage to that peatland, so what we want to do is restore the flora and fauna with a significant moorland restoration scheme.”

    Photograph of turbines at the Scout Moor wind farm. The picture is taken from the Cotton Famine Road on the hills above Norden in Rochdale.

    The existing Scout Moor wind farm consists of 26 turbines between Rawtenstall and Rochdale

    Construction of the turbines would take at least three years, with Cubico saying it could begin to generate renewable energy by 2030.

    Currently the largest onshore wind farm in England is at Keadby in Lincolnshire, where there are 34 turbines.

    The UK’s largest wind farm, at Whitelee, near Glasgow, has 215.

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