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Arab News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Media and civil society mourn the passing of trailblazing journalist Zubeida Mustafa at 84
KARACHI: Zubeida Mustafa, a pioneering figure in Pakistani journalism who opened the door for women in mainstream newsrooms and became a powerful advocate for social justice, passed away at the age of 84, the Karachi Press Club (KPC) confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday. Mustafa studied International Relations at the University of Karachi and later briefly attended the London School of Economics on a Commonwealth scholarship. She joined Dawn in 1975, becoming the first woman to hold a senior editorial position at a major Pakistani newspaper. Over a three-decade-long career, she reshaped the paper's editorial landscape, focusing on education, health and social issues, and inspiring a generation of women journalists who followed in her footsteps. 'Zubeida Mustafa was not just a journalist; she was an institution,' the KPC said in its statement. 'She was a pioneer, breaking barriers and paving the way for women in a field often dominated by men,' it added. 'Her work on social issues, education, and health was particularly impactful, demonstrating her deep empathy and dedication to improving the lives of ordinary citizens.' A profile in Newsline magazine described her guiding ethos as rooted in writing from the people's perspective. She credited Dawn editor Ahmad Ali Khan with shaping her editorial values, including the ability to distill complex issues into accessible, public-minded journalism. Even after retiring from Dawn in 2008 due to health reasons, Mustafa remained an active voice in public discourse, continuing to write on education, population and gender justice. Her contributions were recognized internationally in 2012 when she became the first Pakistani journalist to receive the International Women's Media Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award. Dawn later established the Zubeida Mustafa Award for Journalistic Excellence in her honor. 'Zubeida Mustafa championed social, cultural and language rights like few,' the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a social media post. 'She was a comrade-in-arms and stood by the disadvantaged and the oppressed.' In its condolence note, the Karachi Press Club said her 'unwavering commitment to truth, her incisive analysis, and her relentless pursuit of social justice set a benchmark for ethical reporting.' Mustafa, who regularly contributed op-eds to Dawn, wrote her final piece in March this year, after which it became increasingly difficult for her to continue 'because of her failing health,' the newspaper noted in its obituary.
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The Independent
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Can Starmer and Reeves hold the Labour Party together? Ask John Rentoul anything
Welcome to an exclusive Ask Me Anything session with me, John Rentoul, The Independent 's chief political commentator. Keep scrolling for more. If you want to jump straight to the Q&A, click here. Recent attempts by Sir Keir Starmer's leadership to tackle welfare reform have exposed deep tensions within Labour, shaking its identity to the core. The standoff over disability benefits, with dramatic rebellions from both loyalist and Corbynite MPs alike, laid bare the struggles Labour faces in balancing fiscal responsibility with social justice. Starmer's handling of the revolt has damaged his standing, and it seems that only deputy leader Angela Rayner emerged stronger, prompting whispers about the future leadership of the party. It comes as former Labour MP Zarah Sultana announced she will co-lead a new political party with ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, accusing the government of having 'completely failed to improve people's lives.' Sultana, who lost the Labour whip last year after voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, had remained a member of the party despite no longer sitting as a Labour MP. So, can Labour survive this identity crisis? Can the party reconcile its historic commitment to working people with the tough policy decisions required in today's political climate – and craft a credible alternative to austerity without alienating its own members? What about Rachel Reeves, Liz Kendall, and Angela Rayner? Will these recent developments change the balance of power within the party, or push one of them out entirely? Join me live at 2pm BST on Friday, 4 July to discuss Labour's internal battles, the challenges facing Starmer's government, and what the future holds for the party.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jags For Good launch annual Partick Thistle season ticket fundraiser
Jags For Good have launched their annual fundraiser to distribute season tickets to local charities and Partick Thistle supporters struggling with the cost of living. The fans' group, comprised of volunteers who campaign for social justice, have raised around £30,000 over the past three years to provide an opportunity to attend games at Firhill for those who would be otherwise unable to do so. Advertisement Now in its fourth year, Jags For Good are hoping to raise £5,000 via the fundraiser – and Neil Cowan, a founding member of the group, is asking fans who can afford it to consider donating to the cause. At the time of publication, £2,640 has already been raised. The scheme's short-term benefits are obvious, but it has also had the long-term effect of adding a few converts to the red-and-yellow army, as Cowan explains. 'This is the fourth season,' he said. 'We first launched the fundraiser in 2022 and we've done it every year since. 'In total, we've raised the best part of £30,000 over the last three years. This year we have set a target of £5,000 initially. It's a bit lower because people have been finding it tough financially over the past few years. Advertisement 'We're running it again because we've seen the impact it's had in the last few years. We've had loads of nice messages from people saying, 'I wasn't a Thistle fan before, but I came along with my son or daughter and we're now hooked and love the club'. 'We fundraise for season tickets for local charities we work with so people can use them, and that was the idea initially. But then we opened it out to Jags fans who are struggling with the cost of living; people who in years gone by would come to Firhill, but who are maybe finding it a bit tough financially and can only come to one or two games a year. 'If you're struggling to come to games, just email us and you'll get a ticket no questions asked. You don't have to prove anything, we just take you at your word. So we had quite a few people last season and the year before getting tickets because of that. 'We're doing that again this year. We will give tickets to some local charities that support refugees, low-income families and people experiencing homelessness in north west Glasgow, as well as Jags fans who are struggling a bit financially. You can contact us and we'll help you out with a ticket, provided there are enough to go around.' Advertisement Jags For Good work alongside a variety of charities based in the north east of Glasgow, aiding people from all walks of life in an attempt to make Firhill as welcoming and inclusive as they possibly can. As has been the case in previous years, the club will match the final sum raised by supporters and donations are welcome until the end of July. Cowan said: 'We've distributed tickets to loads of different charities: the Partick Thistle Charitable Trust, who do amazing work; Maryhill Integration Network, who mostly work with asylum seekers and refugees in Maryhill; Includem, a charity who work with families; there's a charity that work with low-income families; there's one who work with people with drug and alcohol addictions – all sorts of charities. 'When the tickets go to them, they generally go to people who haven't been to see Thistle before. We know that quite a lot of people, for good or for ill, catch the Thistle bug and suffer alongside the rest of us every Saturday! Advertisement 'Season tickets are only valid for league matches so we will be running our fundraiser through July and we'll probably close it around a week-and-a-half before the first home league match [against Greenock Morton on 9 August] so that we have time to collate everything, buy the tickets and then give them out to people. 'The other great thing is, as they have every year, the club are going to match every penny we raise. If we raise five grand, it'll be ten grand's worth of season tickets that are distributed. So if someone donates a tenner, really it's 20 quid. 'It's pretty cool. It's the whole thing about coming along to Firhill – even if we don't win, it makes you feel part of a community and that's really what it's all about. Thistle is a community club and we should be an extension of that community, and we should be as inclusive as possible. This is a relatively small way of making that a reality. 'There is a small group of us, and it is a good wee group of folk who do matchday collections and things like that. We are volunteers doing this in our spare time but I think we all see the value in it. We enjoy it and see the good that it does, and it is also a great thing to be a part of – using Thistle for the greater good.' You can donate to Jags For Good's season ticket fundraiser here.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Report lists reparations for NJ African Americans, including payments to slave descendants
"The goal is simple and radical: create a New Jersey where Black people are free to flourish — and where everyone benefits when that happens." That's the assessment in an op-ed published by by Khalil Gibran Muhammad and Taja-Nia Henderson, co-chairs of the New Jersey Reparations Council, which released a report on Juneteenth outlining reparations for Black people impacted by the legacy of slavery in the Garden State. There are 1.2 million Black people in New Jersey, which makes up about 15% of the state's population, according to U.S census data. New Jersey was known as the 'slave state of the North," as it was home to more than two-thirds of the entire slave population of the northern U.S. by 1830, and the last Northern state to end the practice in 1866. The two, in the opinion piece, argue for the recommendations for reparations in the 244-page report to be implemented in New Jersey, which range from improving access to health care to narrowing the wealth gap for African Americans. They also call on state legislators to carry out the recommendations by passing a bill that would include the long-awaited formation of a state reparations task force. "New Jersey built wealth on Black backs; it can now build a future on Black flourishing. The reparative work is past due. The time is now to do it," Muhammad and Henderson said in the op-ed. Two years after the New Jersey Reparations Council launched, with the intention of putting forward a report on Juneteenth 2025, the report, "For Such a Time as This: The Nowness of Reparations for Black People in New Jersey," was released to the public. The council, consisting of nine committees addressing various aspects of the brutal and damaging institution of slavery in New Jersey, produced the report after holding two- to three-hour virtual sessions over the past two years to discuss their findings and hear public comments. The report lists about 100 policy recommendations for reparative redress carried out by the state in nine categories that the council addressed: History of Slavery in New Jersey, Public Narrative & Memory; Economic Justice; Segregation in New Jersey; Democracy; Public Safety & Justice; Health Equity; Environmental Justice; and Faith and Black Resistance. The recommendations include some of the following: Providing direct payments to the descendants of enslaved Black people in New Jersey for the uncompensated labor extracted from their ancestors. Creating a reparations bureau that would oversee and manage reparations initiatives in New Jersey. Establishing a guaranteed income for New Jersey residents. Creating a mental health task force that meets the standards of high-quality care, particularly for Black residents. Ending the requirement that public school students attend school within district boundaries. Establishing a scholarship fund and trust for Black students. Implementing zero emissions standards for buildings. Prohibiting the incarceration of youth offenders. Reissuing an official state apology for slavery that does not include a denial of liability (a follow-up to the state's official apology in 2008). Invest in research related to the legacies of slavery and segregation in New Jersey. As stated in the report, the recommendations are based on two principles: Black people in New Jersey are eligible for reparations because "slavery harmed both enslaved and free Black people, and because segregation and institutional racism have harmed descendants of enslaved people, as well as Black people who arrived in New Jersey well after slavery," and "comprehensive reparations must include both direct payments and policy remedies." The report cites various disparities and historical harms impacting African Americans in New Jersey, such as the substantial "racial wealth gap" between Blacks and Whites, where the median household net worth (where half of households have more wealth and half with less) for Blacks in New Jersey is approximately $20,000 while for Whites it's $662,500. Juneteenth 2025: How NJ sleuths track down forgotten African American cemeteries Then, there's the historic advantage provided to Whites when New Jersey during its slavery period gave "White families 150 acres of land and up to an additional 150 acres of land for each enslaved Black person they brought with them." The New Jersey Legislature has yet to pass the bill introduced in 2019 for the formation of a state reparations task force, and no hearing on the bill has been scheduled for discussion. However, numerous municipalities in New Jersey, including Montclair, have supported its passage. Jean-Pierre Brutus, who heads the Reparations Council, said in a recent interview with that he hoped the council's report would spur the passage of the bill and the creation of the task force to carry out the report's recommendations. He pointed out that the lack of progress on the state level was what led to the creation of the council in the first place. The task force created by the legislation would be known as the "New Jersey Reparations Task Force," consisting of 11 members, including four legislators and seven public members. Three members would be appointed by the governor, and eight by the state Legislature. Their task would be to examine the institution of slavery that existed within New Jersey; the extent it existed in the state and how the federal government put barriers to former enslaved persons and their descendants thriving economically after slavery ended; look at "the lingering negative effects of slavery" on African Americans and society as whole in the modern day in New Jersey and nationwide; gather research methods and materials for bringing about reparations; make recommendations for the remedies, through what means should they be administered and to whom they would be awarded, and how those recommendations would comply with "national and international standards of remedy for wrongs and injuries." The task force would hold at least six public meetings across the state and would hold its first meeting within three months of enactment. It would issue "an interim report of its progress to the governor and the State Legislature, no later than a year following the initial meeting." Then, the final report and recommendations to the governor and the Legislature within two years of the first meeting. A timeline similar to the one pursued by the Reparations Council in issuing its report. Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, D-Paterson, is an original co-sponsor of the reparations task force bill in 2019 with the late Newark assemblyman Ron Rice. Sumter said in comments emailed to that the reparations report by the New Jersey Reparations Council is "timely and essential" and "confronts the hard truths of New Jersey's history and draws a direct line from centuries of systemic racism to the stark disparities Black residents face today." Sumter said some of the recommendations in the report can be implemented in the immediate future, such as guaranteed income for New Jersey residents. She also hoped that the report would prompt the Legislature to pass the task force bill, but noted that any legislative action would come about when "the people demand it." "We've been advocating for this bill since 2019 because true healing requires truth and accountability. This report offers the Legislature a detailed, evidence-based roadmap informed by research and lived experience," Sumter said. "That said, there are still obstacles." Sumter said some of the obstacles to the bill's passage are the discomfort of some of her fellow legislators and the general public around the word 'reparations," and the state's slavery past. "The reality is that many people remain unaware of New Jersey's deep entanglement with slavery and systemic racism. They don't see this as a New Jersey issue when in fact, it absolutely is," Sumter said. "Until we educate the public and create space for honest, informed conversations, the resistance will persist." Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: kaulessar@ Twitter/X: @ricardokaul This article originally appeared on Reparations in NJ: Report outlines payment to slave descendants
Gulf Business
24-06-2025
- Business
- Gulf Business
Oman to implement personal income tax in 2028, targets high earners
Image: Getty Images/ For illustrative purposes Oman will introduce a personal income tax on high earners starting in 2028, following the issuance of Royal Decree No 56/2025, according to the state-run Oman News Agency (ONA). The new law comprises 76 articles across 16 chapters and will impose a 5 per cent tax on taxable income for individuals whose gross annual income exceeds OMR42,000, derived from specific income types outlined in the legislation. The Tax Authority stated that the law aims to enhance the country's fiscal sustainability by diversifying revenue sources beyond hydrocarbons, in alignment with Oman Vision 2040. Personal income tax to increase non-oil revenues The target is to increase non-oil revenues to 15 per cent of GDP by 2030 and 18 per cent by 2040. Additionally, the law is intended to support wealth redistribution, social protection systems, and overall social justice, according to The authority emphasised that the tax follows an extensive economic and social impact study, based on income data from various government entities. This assessment ensured the establishment of a high exemption threshold, with the findings indicating that approximately 99 per cent of the Omani population will not be subject to the new tax. The 5 per cent levy will apply only to individuals earning above the OMR42,000 threshold and includes provisions for deductions and exemptions to reflect social priorities in These considerations include allowances for education, healthcare, inheritance, zakat, charitable donations, and expenses related to primary housing. Preparations in place Karima Mubarak Al Saadi, director of the Personal Income Tax Project, said that all necessary preparations for the tax's implementation have been completed. Executive regulations will be issued within a year of the law's publication in the Official Gazette. Al Saadi added that a new electronic tax system has been developed to facilitate voluntary compliance and ensure accurate income assessments. It will be integrated with relevant government departments for verification purposes. The tax authority has also expanded its human resources capacity through specialized training programmes and will release guidance manuals for both individuals and legal entities in line with a scheduled rollout plan.
