Latest news with #FieldMarshal
Al Arabiya
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Pakistan army chief rejects Indian allegation of Chinese help in May conflict
Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday rejected New Delhi's allegation that his military received active support from longtime ally China in its conflict with India in May. Indian army's deputy chief Lieutenant General Rahul Singh said last week that China gave Islamabad 'live inputs' on key Indian positions. The 'insinuations regarding external support' are 'irresponsible and factually incorrect,' Munir said in an address to graduating officers of the national security and war course in Islamabad, according to an army statement. Pakistani officials have previously dismissed allegations of receiving active support from China in the conflict. Beijing and Islamabad have longstanding close relations, with billions of dollars of Chinese investment in the South Asian nation's energy and infrastructure. India's relationship with China meanwhile was strained after a 2020 border clash that sparked a four-year military standoff, but tensions began to ease after the countries reached a pact to step back in October. India and Pakistan used missiles, drones and artillery fire during the four days of fighting in May - their worst in decades - triggered by an attack in April on tourists in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, before agreeing to a ceasefire. Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack in April.
New Paper
04-07-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
July 5 Hong Kong (Sha Tin) form analysis
Race 1 (1,200m) 4 Motor looks ready to win after an unlucky second to The All Out last start over 1,000m, where he was held up for room late. 9 Field Marshal, now third-up, should get every chance and looks the likely leader from barrier 1. 12 Winning Champion is also having his third start and is heading the right way. Back to 1,200m looks ideal after a strong third over 1,000m. 1 Light Years Glory surprised with a debut win at big odds and is worth respecting again despite the draw. Race 2 (1,200m) 1 Gimme Five looks ready to break through. He resumes off a pair of solid trials and returns to a course and trip where he has placed twice from two starts. 6 Lucky Generations is unplaced from 12 but has run some encouraging races. Freshened with 35 days between runs and a nice trial under his belt, he is worth a look at each-way odds. 12 Flying Phantom has not broken through in 22 starts but is often thereabouts. He will drop out early and look to finish over the top. 10 Sonic Boom was caught wide throughout first-up but was not beaten far. He is capable off this mark and in a race lacking tempo, he can roll forward and make his own luck. Race 3 (1,200m) 1 Mr Energia returns to Class 4 after starting favourite in a deeper Class 3 contest, where he was shuffled back and did well to finish fourth. That form reads strongly for this and he should be ready to strike. 2 Fashion Legend is on the quick turnaround after a comfortable win over the extended mile. He now drops in trip, but two runs ago he stuck on well for third over this course and distance. 5 Sight Happy did not have the best run last start from a wide draw when seeing this track and trip for the first time. He can settle closer from a better gate and is worth another look. 3 Smart Fighter is on debut on the all-weather under race conditions but brings in solid-enough trial form to be considered. Race 4 (1,600m) 1 Beautiful Win has the speed map in his favour and looks set to control things from the front. He has posted back-to-back placings over this course and trip since dropping to Class 5 and is well placed to break through. 6 Apolar Fighter was third in the same race and had excuses after being held up for much of the straight. With clear running, he can give this a shake. 5 Smart Beauty won that race and should map with every chance again. 9 Family Fortune closed well into sixth from a wide gate and the addition of blinkers for the first time catches the eye. Race 5 (1,200m) 1 Lucky Symphony had excuses last start after working hard from a wide draw to sit outside the leader in a strongly run race. He faded late into seventh but was not beaten far. Drawn slightly better this time helps. 2 Aerovolanic impressed on debut after some sharp trial work and looks to have more upside. 3 Patch Of Time is usually thereabouts and is better placed back at Sha Tin following a solid fourth at Happy Valley. 8 Spicy Spangle drops into a slightly weaker Class 4 and could show something here. He was caught wide last time, but his prior efforts over 1,000m were sound and he is a past winner over this course and trip. Race 6 (1,400m) 4 Endued has been trending the right way since the switch to Benno Yung and a slide in the ratings. From barrier 12 last start he gave away a big head start but closed off strongly for fourth. He is knocking on the door. 7 Amazing Duck is back from a break and while he is hard to catch, his recent trial was encouraging. He looks the likely leader and will give a sight first-up. 6 Strange Alert was green and held up briefly on debut. Showed enough to suggest he will improve with that run under his belt. 12 Colourful Winner adds more speed and, despite being a maiden, has put up back-to-back placings over this course and trip. Race 7 (1,200m) 2 Szeryng made full use of barrier 1 to break through stylishly at his third start, doing it with a bit in hand. He maps for another soft run. Should be right in it again. 1 Igor Stravinsky produced his best effort yet with a close-up second following the drop in class and now gets Zac Purton aboard, which boosts his claims. 3 Tourbillon Golfer made the running on debut and was only collared late. A repeat performance looks likely from barrier 1. 5 Winning Cigar had the outside draw on debut at Happy Valley over 1,000m and was given a quiet ride, but he found the line well. With a better gate and the step-up to 1,200m, he is one to keep safe. Race 8 (1,800m) 3 Fortune Boy is a three-year-old trending the right way and steps up to 1,800m for the first time. He tends to get back and hit the line, as seen when narrowly missing back-to-back wins last start. 2 Beauty Viva has switched to Tony Cruz's yard and his close second over this course and trip two back is the run to go on. 9 Celestial Patch is improving with racing and his third over the extended mile at Happy Valley was backed up by a solid fourth. Drawn better, he maps to settle closer and see out the trip. 1 Wukong Jewellery backs up quickly, drops in grade, and comes off his best run yet when closing hard into fourth on the all-weather. Race 9 (1,200m) 6 Magnifique had genuine excuses when his winning streak ended in March, but his recent trials suggest he has returned in top order and can bounce back first-up. 5 Righteous Arion has been holding form well with back-to-back thirds over this course and trip in stronger races. Key player. 3 Lifeline Express will drift back as usual and if they go too hard up front, he will be the one finishing over the top. 8 Akashvani was made to work from a wide draw in a fast-run race last start and faded late. Although drawn awkwardly in 10 again, he has the potential to improve. Race 10 (1,200m) 4 Masterofmyuniverse steps into Class 2 after back-to-back wins that took his tally to four from nine, and he has trialled well between runs to suggest he can keep progressing. 5 Colourful King lost no admirers with a narrow defeat on his first 1,200m run. Back to Sha Tin presents a fresh test, but he is heading the right way. 2 Lady's Choice was not far away in Group 3 company behind Helios Express and now returns to a more suitable grade. 7 Call Me Glorious meets Masterofmyuniverse better at the weights and is worth another chance after a tough run wide throughout last time. Race 11 (1,400m) 1 Patch Of Stars is a three-year-old on the rise looking to extend his winning streak to four, and remains the clear benchmark. He made light work of them last start and will take plenty of beating. 10 Victory Sky chased him home last time and boxed on honestly, and again looks well placed to run into the placings. 3 Another World is better suited returning to this course and distance after a fair effort at Happy Valley. 7 Armour War Eagle got too far back from a wide gate last time but closed in late. From a better draw, he can settle closer and improve. Comments courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
The Citizen
13-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Future Swing to cement his Durban July berth
Future Swing will be racing at close to peak fitness and should be hard to beat. When the second log for the Hollywoodbets Durban July was released on Tuesday, Justin Snaith-trained Future Swing was placed in 18th spot. Should he stay there, he is guaranteed his position in the final field. It is a precarious place to be, but the son of Futura could cement his place in the Grade 1 race over 2200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on 5 July with a victory in the Grade 3 Tote Derby over 2400m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday. Future Swing had no luck in last year's Durban July and since that rough race the five-year-old gelding has battled to maintain the attention he received prior to that event. However, in his second run after a rest, he came on nicely and was beaten by only 1.40 lengths carrying 63.5kg into second by handily weighted Field Marshal (52.5kg) in the Listed Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m last time. He now finds himself the best weighted runner in the Derby and in his third start after rest, racing at just about peak fitness, he should be hard to beat, especially with Richard Fourie up. Field Marshal is now 5.5kg worse with him on their Lonsdale run, so they should easily turn the tables. Candice Dawson-trained My Soul Mate looks the runner to beat in the Oaks. The Master Of My Fate four-year-old is as versatile as they come. Her earlier back-to-back wins were over 1600m, but she won the 2850m Caradoc Gold Cup this year and last time out finished second to Justin Snaith's blossoming filly Little Suzie, beating some of the top fillies around in the Woolavington 2000. Perhaps only Sean Tarry-trained World Of Alice can block her path. The bay filly was well beaten by Indian Ocean when fourth in the Grade 2 Igugu Stakes, but it was her previous run, where she flew up to finish second behind Fiery Pegasus in the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks over 2450m at Turffontein, that gives her a say, and she may be best over this distance. NOW READ: Underworld plots a Durban July heist
Arab News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Politicians see field marshal rank as affirmation of Pakistan army chief's influence, not a power shift
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani politicians and analysts have said that the country's top military commander Asim Munir's promotion to the field marshal rank, which followed Pakistan's recent standoff with India, would not further affect the political landscape as he already held 'great influence.' The Pakistani government elevated Army Chief Munir to the rank of field marshal on Tuesday, making him only the second military officer after Ayub Khan to attain the title in the history of the South Asian country. The promotion came more than a week after Pakistan declared victory in a four-day military conflict with India, which saw the archfoes trade missile, drone and artillery strikes, killing around 70 people on both sides. The office of the army chief is widely seen as the most powerful position in Pakistan, a country where the military has directly ruled for nearly half its history and wields considerable influence in matters of national significance even during civilian rule. 'It will, God willing, have no [further] impact on political space or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),' Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a spokesperson of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan-led PTI party, told Arab News this week. 'He already held all the influence.' Khan's PTI has been at loggerheads with the military since the downfall of its administration in 2022 and on May 9, 2023, hundreds of people carrying its flags had attacked government and military installations over the ex-premier's arrest in a graft case. The attacks followed hundreds of arrests and dozens of Khan supporters were even tried in military courts. The PTI denies it instigated its followers to violence and accuses the military and its political rivals of a nationwide crackdown on its supporters. The Pakistani government and the military deny the accusation. Bukhari called Munir's promotion an 'internal matter' of the army. 'It's generally an internal matter for the army as a result of a victory against India,' he said, adding that the entire nation celebrated that victory and ceasefire. 'We hope that with this promotion, an internal ceasefire is also reached.' For National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who is also the vice president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, the promotion was not only a recognition of an individual's capability, but also an acknowledgment of the sacrifices and professional competence of the Pakistani armed forces. 'Field Marshal Munir thwarted the enemy's nefarious designs with great courage and strategy,' he said, adding the decision of his elevation would further boost the morale of the military and promote national unity. On Thursday, Pakistan's top political leadership conferred the baton of field marshal on Army Chief Munir at a ceremony in Islamabad. PM Shehbaz Sharif praised him for his 'unflinching courage' and the army for responding with speed and precision to Indian military strikes. The strikes were triggered by an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, an allegation denied by Islamabad. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), maintained the promotion of the army chief was a 'merit-based decision' by the government as he fully deserved it. 'This move has no political angle, neither has been done to harm anyone. So, all should appreciate it,' he told Arab News. Liaqat Baloch, a senior member of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, said it was the government's prerogative to make such promotions. 'I think now Field Marshal Munir should work for the supremacy of the constitution,' he said, adding it would further elevate his status among people. Baloch said the move would not have much impact on political parties, including the PTI or any other opposition group. Political analysts believed the promotion will further strengthen army chief's commanding position in the power structure of the country. 'Field Marshal Munir now holds a central and commanding position within the power structure, especially in light of the current weakness and disunity among civilian political leaders,' Mushahid Hussain Syed, a seasoned politician and political commentator, told Arab News. Even before the standoff with India, he said, all major political forces were already convinced of the establishment's central role in Pakistan's power dynamics. 'All the mainstream political forces are convinced that the path to Islamabad passes through Rawalpindi [home to army headquarters],' he added. But Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), said the top military commander's promotion would not 'further shrink political space for the opposition,' including Khan's party. 'I do not think this promotion would lead to greater influence in the government affairs than he [Asim Munir] already has,' he added. Defense analyst and author, Ayesha Siddiqa, called the promotion a 'political decision' by the ruling PML-N party to 'appease' the most powerful individuals within the country. 'It is a political decision because the basis on which this title is given [the standoff with India] was not even an all-out war,' she told Arab News. 'This is possibly a move by the PML-N to ensure that the army chief stays happy and does not consider too seriously any major [rapprochement] vis-a-vis [the jailed former premier] Khan.'
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Starmer pays £10bn to surrender UK's vital defence to a honeymoon resort
Not only is Britain finished, we're running out of people to surrender it to. China got Hong Kong. The EU got our waters. But who gets our base at Diego Garcia? Mauritius. I'd love to explain that one to the ghost of Queen Victoria: 'The future of the Royal Navy, your majesty, is now in the hands of a honeymoon resort.' Vic isn't amused. I'm spitting blood. Like any patriotic Englishman, I'd gladly take a bullet to protect this essential and much-loved base in the Indian Ocean. Our day of infamy began with a ray of hope. Some Chagossians protested the deal in the High Court; the PM was briefly stopped by a judge (serves the lawyer right: if you live by m'lord, you'll die by m'lord). But the wheels of justice spun into reverse and, at about 3pm, Keir Starmer threw a press conference to announce the sale of the century. Mauritius gets the islands; we then pay them £10 billion to remain in situ. Keir was first made aware of this exciting offer via an unsolicited email from a man looking to invest the assets of a late Nigerian prince. To sweeten matters, the PM posed with a general who, in a better age, would be planning a coup behind his back. Field Marshal Sir Hillary Clippety-clop wore a braid so preposterously long and golden one imagined tugging it to open a curtain. The historian David Cannadine called such things 'the cavalcade of impotence': the more Britain diminishes, the more its rulers enjoy dressing up. Don't think this is a good deal for the UK? MI5 would be interested in having a chat. 'Who is in favour?', asked the PM rhetorically. 'All our allies. Who is against it? Russia, China, Iran and, surprisingly, the leader of the Opposition.' Keir didn't use her name because, according to the latest polls, the vast majority of voters wouldn't recognise it – but the implication was clear. Kemi is aiding our enemies. Well, the Tories weren't having that. During a fiery Commons statement, Opposition spokesman James Cartlidge called it 'beneath contempt' to accuse the Government's critics of treachery. He went on to label the deal a 'betrayal' and a 'surrender', and to rewrite Labour's theme tune as 'they'll keep the white flag flying here'. Minister John Healey, a much-pained politician whose every sentence sounds like his last, regretted 'the tone' of Cartlidge's remarks, which is what Labour does. Attacks on their policies are dismissed as populism; passion is evidence of mental decline. Were it not for parliamentary privilege, Cartlidge would have been carted off to jail. But the claim that the Government simply had to sign this deal because foreign courts demanded it does not hold water – and even Labour MPs were privately criticising it. Courts interpret; the Commons has the final say. No one forced Starmer's hand. We're simply witnessing the logical consequence of government by a class that is embarrassed by Britain's past greatness and would surrender its territory to anyone who puts in a dubious claim. Today Chagos; tomorrow Gibraltar and the Falklands. Vanuatu can have Cornwall. The sun had to set on Vicky's empire someday, but I never imagined we'd be paying someone £10 billion to lower the flag.
