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Politicians unite in tribute to Alistair Darling: ‘a statesman of unimpeachable integrity’ | Politics | News

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Former Chancellor Alistair Darling has been remembered for “calmness in a crisis” and “wry good humour” following his death aged 70. Lord Darling, who spent almost three decades as an MP and 13 years in a Labour government under Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, died after being treated for cancer.

A statement from his family said yesterday: “Mr Darling, the muchloved husband of Margaret and beloved father of Calum and Anna, died after a short spell in Western General Hospital under the wonderful care of the cancer team.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, speaking in Dubai, where he is attending the COP28 climate summit, paid tribute saying: “Alistair’s death has been met with real shock and profound sadness across the whole Labour movement.

“But not just the Labour movement – by everybody who knew and loved him and respected him.

“I was privileged enough to be a friend and to get his wise counsel.

“He was always at hand to provide advice with his trademark wry good humour. He was a real public servant. Our hearts go out to Maggie, his wife, and to his children.”

Former Prime Minister Sir Tony described the veteran politician as a “rarity in politics”, saying he “never met anyone who didn’t like him”.

Sir Tony added: “He was highly capable, though modest, understated but never to be underestimated, always kind and dignified, even under the intense pressure politics can generate.

“He was the safest of safe hands. I knew he could be given any position in the Cabinet and be depended upon. I liked and respected him immensely as a colleague and a friend.”

After holding a series of posts, including Transport Secretary and Scottish Secretary in the Blair government, Lord Darling became Chancellor when Mr Brown took over at Downing Street in 2007.

He steered the UK through the financial crisis of 2008 and Mr Brown recalled yesterday: “I, like many, relied on his wisdom, calmness in a crisis and his humour.” He described his former colleague as a “statesman of unimpeachable integrity whose life was defined by a strong sense of social justice”.

The two men also worked together on Better Together, the cross-party campaign to keep Scotland in the UK ahead of the 2014 independence referendum that Mr Darling chaired.

Mr Brown said Hendon-born Lord Darling had been “resolute and courageous in making the case for Scotland’s place” in the UK.

After leaving the House of Commons, Lord Darling joined the House of Lords, but retired five years after being made a life peer.

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, who led the campaign for independence in the 2014 ballot, described him as a “hugely significant figure in UK politics” and an “effective politician”. The two men clashed in TV debates but Mr Salmond said: “Alistair was an extremely courteous man.”

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said Lord Darling “dedicated his life to public service and was a giant of Scottish and UK politics”. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said his predecessor will be “remembered for doing the right thing for the country at a time of extraordinary turmoil”.

And former Conservative PM Boris Johnson said he was a “towering figure in Labour politics” who “always brought wit, wisdom and intellect to his work”.



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Pakistani Nationals Failing To Leave India Face 3 Years Jail Term, Rs 3 Lakh Fine

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New Delhi:

Any Pakistani, who fails to leave India as per the deadlines set by the government, will be arrested, prosecuted and may face a jail term of up to three years or a fine of a maximum Rs 3 lakh or both.

The ‘Leave India’ notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.

The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was April 26. For those carrying medical visas, the deadline is April 29. The 12 categories of visas whose holders have to leave India by Sunday are — visa on arrival, business, film, journalist, transit, conference, mountaineering, student, visitor, group tourist, pilgrim and group pilgrim.

According to the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, which came into effect on April 4, overstaying, violating visa conditions, or trespassing in restricted areas could lead to three years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 3 lakh.

“Whoever,-(a) being a foreigner, remains in any area in India for a period exceeding the period for which the visa was issued to him or stays in India without a valid passport or other valid travel document in contravention of provisions of Section 3 or does any act in violation of the conditions of the valid visa issued to him for his entry and stay in India or any part thereunder; “(b) contravenes any other provisions of this Act, other than sections 17 and 19, or of any rule or order made thereunder or any direction or instruction given in pursuance of this Act or such order or direction or instruction for which, no specific punishment is provided under this Act, shall be punishable with an imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine which may extend to three lakh rupees or with both,” the Act says.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday called up the chief ministers of all states and asked them to ensure that no Pakistani stays in India beyond the deadline set for leaving the country.

After Shah’s telephonic conversations with the chief ministers, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan held a video conference with the chief secretaries and asked them to ensure that all Pakistani nationals whose visas were revoked must leave India by the fixed deadline.

The already strained relations between India and Pakistan nosedived further after the Pahalgam terror attack, with New Delhi announcing a barrage of retaliatory steps, including the cancellation of visas, and Islamabad hitting back with a string of tit-for-tat measures.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)




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25 Dead, 750 Injured In Iran Port Fire, Blast Heard 50 Km Away: 10 Points

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Smoke shrouded Iran’s largest commercial port and surrounding areas as a fire following a major blast killed 25 people and injured 750 so far. Strong winds posed hindrances to firefighting operations.

Here Are The Key Takeaways:

  1. An explosion occurred at the Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran on Saturday, leading to a major fire the intensity of which increased amid winds.
  2. Thick, black smoke spread far and wide, resulting schools and office in Bandar Abbas, situated over 20 kilometres away, to be ordered shut.
  3. Local media aired visuals showing choppers dropping water on shipping containers engulfed in dense smoke, even as survivors walked down a debris-littered boulevard a short distance away.
  4. The powerful explosion was felt and heard about 50 kilometres away, Fars news agency reported. Further, the shockwave was so strong that most of the port buildings were severely damaged, per Tasnim news agency.
  5. The cause of the fire is being investigated. State TV quoted the port’s customs office as saying that the fire originated from the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot.
  6. The New York Times reported that a person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity, said what exploded was sodium perchlorate, a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.
  7. Hundreds of people were transferred to nearby medical centres for treatment, as the provincial blood transfusion centre issued a call for donations.
  8. Shahid Rajaee, more than 1,000 kilometres south of Tehran, is Iran’s most advanced container port, according to the official IRNA news agency. It is situated near the Strait of Hormuz through which a fifth of world oil output passes.
  9. Despite the explosion, the Bandar Abbas oil facilities continue to operate without interruption. The state-owned National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company said in a statement that the explosion “has no connection to refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complexes or oil pipelines”.
  10. The explosion comes at the heels of Iranian and US delegations meeting in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, in which both sides reported progress.



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Student, Retired Teachers, Lawyer Among 19 Arrested For Remarks On J&K Attack

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Guwahati:

At least 19 people have been arrested in three states in the northeast over remarks on the terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, including those of a Navy officer and an officer from the Intelligence Bureau.

The people who have been arrested in Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura include an MLA, a journalist, students, a lawyer and retired teachers. Most of the arrests were from social media posts.

So far, 14 arrests have taken place in Assam alone.

The first arrest came on Thursday when Aminul Islam, an MLA from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) – an opposition party in Assam – was arrested and charged with sedition for his statement that the Pulwama attack in 2019 and Tuesday’s Pahalgam attack were “conspiracies by the government”. He was sent to police custody for four days on Friday.

The other arrests in Assam till Friday included Md Jabir Hussain from Hailakandi, Md AK Bahauddin and Md Javed Mazumder from Silchar, Md Mahahar Mia from Morigaon and Md Sahil Ali from Sivasagar. Md Musta Ahmed alias Sahel from Karimganj was arrested on Friday night for posting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ on Facebook.

Among them, Hussain is a journalist, Bahauddin is a computer science student at the Assam University in Silchar and Mazumder is a lawyer.

On Saturday, the police arrested 25-year-old Md Jarif Ali and Anil Bania, the district secretary of a student body, Satra Mukti Sangram Parishad, from Biswanath. Sumon Mazumdar alias Bulbul Alom Mazumdar was arrested in Hailakandi, Mashud Azhar in Nagaon and another person was arrested from Hajo near Guwahati – all for making “anti-India comments” online.

The Cachar district police also arrested two more individuals for posting “content supporting Pakistan” on social media.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “If required, we will impose provisions of the National Security Act on them. We are examining all social media posts, and action will be taken against those who, we feel, are anti-national… There are no similarities between Bharat and Pakistan. The two countries are enemy nations and we must remain that way.”

Tripura

In Tripura, there have been four arrests so far, including those of two retired teachers.

Jawhar Debnath, a retired teacher and one Kuldip Mandal were arrested for making “anti-national comments online” in the context of the Pahalgam terror attack in Dhalai district. Another retired teacher, Sajal Chakraborty, was arrested from Dharmanagar of North Tripura district and Jahirul Islam was taken into custody from Sonamura in Sepahijala district.

Meghalaya

In Meghalaya, a 30-year-old man named Simon Shylla was arrested on Friday from the East Khasi Hills district after he posted an “anti-national comment” on a video telecast by a news channel from Guwahati.




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