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Workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles have overwhelmingly voted to authorise a potential strike during the World Cup, just days before football’s global showpiece begins.
The Unite Here Local 11 union, which represents about 2,000 stadium food and beverage workers, is demanding better pay along with assurances that federal immigration agents will not be allowed to enter the venue.
A whopping 96 per cent of voters approved the strike call, meaning they have the green light to walk off the job at any time, with the World Cup due to open on Thursday.
“Contract negotiations with stadium food service operator Legends Global and FIFA have not had significant progress on key economic and workplace safety issues,” the union said in a statement.
New talks are scheduled for Monday, ahead of the first World Cup match on US soil on June 12 at SoFi.
Cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, and others are represented by Unite Here.
SoFi Stadium — the world’s most expensive sports venue, which opened in 2020 at a cost exceeding $5 billion — will host eight World Cup matches.
“If we’re forced to strike, those $100,000 FIFA suites will have nothing but bottled water and Doritos,” said union co-president Kurt Petersen.
The union has demanded that workers be allowed to walk out if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel come to SoFi during World Cup matches and create “a reasonable fear for their safety.”
ICE has faced sharp criticism from human rights organizations for their sometimes brutal raids in various US cities, including Los Angeles.
Stadium workers have also expressed concerns about being forced to share their personal information with FIFA, football’s world governing body, to get World Cup accreditation — amid fears that data will be shared with ICE.
“The FIFA World Cup will generate enormous profits, but we are still fighting for basic respect and security,” stadium bartender Cesar Zamora said in a statement provided by the union.
“We deserve better, and if that means going on strike, I’m ready. “
GILGIT: The people of Gilgit-Baltistan will vote in the general elections for the GB Legislative Assembly on Sunday after the polls were delayed by four months due to harsh winter weather.
The PPP and other political parties have staged a series of rallies across the region and ramped up efforts to garner support ahead of the polls.
All arrangements have been finalised, with elections to be contested in 24 constituencies. According to the GB Election Commission, there are 958,480 registered voters in the region, including 503,772 male and 454,708 female voters.
A total of 396 candidates are contesting the elections, with 266 running as independents. Only eight women are contesting the elections, five of them as independent candidates.
Meanwhile, 23 candidates from the PPP are contesting the elections, while the PML-N has fielded 22 candidates. Both parties have nominated one female candidate each. Additionally, 15 candidates from the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) and 10 from the PTI are in the fray.
Moreover, 10 candidates are contesting on the tickets of the Pakistan Nazaryati Party, while nine belong to the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), seven to the Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), and six each to the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Four candidates are representing the Awami Workers Party (AWP), while one candidate each from the Awami National Party (ANP), Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and the PML-Q is also in the race
The polling will run from 8am to 5pm on Sunday.
GB Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan has issued a notification delegating the powers of a first-class magistrate to all district returning officers and returning officers to ensure the peaceful, transparent and lawful conduct of the elections.
According to the notification, Khan said that the strict implementation of election laws, adherence to the election code of conduct and transparency in the electoral process would be ensured at all costs so that free, fair and impartial elections could be held while upholding the trust of the people.
In a statement, GB Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ghulam Abbas appealed to the people to actively participate in the electoral process and exercise their right to vote, saying that the vote is the voice of every citizen, the foundation of the democratic system and a national duty.
He said that elections are an important pillar of any democratic society and that active participation of the people is key to strengthening democratic traditions.
The caretaker minister added that the people of GB have always shown maturity and responsibility in national affairs, and expressed hope that they would turn up at polling stations in large numbers on election day.
He emphasised that every vote matters and plays a key role in the development, prosperity and future of the region. He urged the people to rise above any pressure, fear or bias and exercise their vote according to their free will.
Abbas further said that all relevant institutions were fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure peaceful, transparent and fair elections, urging the people to abide by the election code of conduct, cooperate with law enforcement agencies and play their positive role in making the democratic process successful.
He said that for a strong, stable and developed Gilgit-Baltistan, it was essential that every eligible voter exercise their right to vote and contribute to the further strengthening of the democratic process.
WASHINGTON: The US Congress is moving to tighten oversight of Pentagon leadership decisions and limit unilateral military action against Iran, in a rare bipartisan effort that underscores renewed tensions over presidential war powers and civilian control of the military.
On Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee adopted a bipartisan provision that would require the Pentagon to notify Congress within five days whenever a senior military officer is dismissed, along with a written explanation for the decision.
Lawmakers say the measure is intended to improve transparency over personnel changes at the top levels of the armed forces, where congressional visibility has traditionally been limited.
The move comes amid broader scrutiny on Capitol Hill of the Trump administration’s handling of military operations against Iran and recent changes in senior defence leadership.
While Congress frequently debates executive war powers, bipartisan agreement on measures that directly constrain presidential military authority is uncommon in a sharply divided Washington.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives also adopted a War Powers resolution aimed at limiting the president’s ability to continue military operations against Iran without congressional authorisation.
The measure reflects growing interest among lawmakers in reasserting legislative authority over sustained military action under the 1973 War Powers framework, which requires congressional consultation when operations extend beyond defined time limits.
The latest resolution, introduced by Democratic Representative Pat Ryan, passed on Thursday by voice vote without objection, signalling unusual bipartisan consensus on an issue that has historically divided Congress along party lines.
The push for greater oversight has been fuelled in part by reports that US War Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed roughly two dozen senior military officers since taking office.
Some lawmakers in both parties have questioned both the scale of the removals and the absence of public explanations for the decisions.
Scrutiny intensified further after the removal of Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, a highly regarded officer with more than four decades of service.
Republican Congressman Steve Womack described Gen George as a “patriotic American,” reflecting unease within parts of the Republican caucus over the decision.
While civilian control of the military is a core principle of US governance, lawmakers have raised concerns in hearings about whether recent personnel changes have been accompanied by sufficient transparency to Congress, particularly at a time of heightened military activity in the Middle East.
The new reporting requirement still faces a long legislative path, needing approval by both chambers of Congress and the president’s signature. But its advancement at the committee level, alongside the War Powers resolution, signals a cautious but notable shift in congressional willingness to assert oversight over both military operations and senior Pentagon personnel decisions.
Even so, Republican lawmakers remain broadly supportive of the administration’s defence posture, suggesting that the emerging push for oversight is more focused on process and transparency than on a fundamental break with the White House’s military policy.
Tremors were felt in Lahore and other districts of Punjab on Friday after a 4.9-magnitude earthquake was reported, said a statement by the Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
A PDMA spokesperson said the depth of the earthquake was recorded at 18 kilometres, while the epicentre was located in the Kashmir region.
“No loss of life or property due to the earthquake has been reported in Punjab,” the spokesperson said, adding that the relevant authorities were engaged in inspecting buildings.
He further said that any earthquake-related damage could be reported to the PDMA helpline 1129, adding that district emergency operation centres across Punjab, along with the PDMA’s provincial control room, were operational round the clock.
In late May, at least one person was killed and 11 others were injured after several houses were seriously damaged following a reported earthquake in Jhelum’s Pind Dadan Khan tehsil.
On May 4, tremors were also felt in Islamabad and Rawalpindi after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake was reported.
WORLD Environment Day arrives as the planet edges deeper into climatic uncertainty. New global temperature records are being set with unsettling frequency, and the World Meteorological Organisation has warned that the years from 2026 to 2030 are likely to rank among the hottest ever observed. There is a strong possibility that another record-breaking year will emerge before the decade is out, while average global temperatures are expected to remain close to or above the 1.5°C threshold that governments once hoped would help avert the worst impacts of climate change.
The warning may be global, but its implications are intensely local. In May, temperatures in parts of Sindh and Balochistan climbed towards 50°C, triggering heatwave alerts and heightening concerns about pressure on already strained power, water and health systems. At the same time, scientists continue to raise the alarm about the glaciers and snow reserves that feed the Indus basin. For a country whose agriculture, food security and energy production depend heavily on the Indus basin, changes in the region’s ice reserves carry consequences that extend far beyond the mountains.
Pakistan knows all too well the consequences of environmental neglect. The catastrophic floods of 2022 inundated vast areas, displaced millions and inflicted losses running into billions of dollars. Yet, despite repeated reminders of the country’s vulnerability, environmental protection continues to occupy a peripheral place in policymaking. Climate adaptation efforts move slowly, urban expansion often proceeds with little regard for sustainability, forests remain under pressure and air pollution continues to burden public health. Shrinking green spaces leave cities increasingly exposed to extreme heat, while weak enforcement of environmental regulations allows ecological degradation to continue largely unchecked.
Pakistan is right to remind the world that it contributes only a tiny fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions and deserves greater international support. But that argument carries weight only if it is matched by seriousness at home. Fragmented planning, weak implementation and chronic underinvestment have left the country less prepared than it should be.
World Environment Day is often marked by pledges, ceremonies and symbolic gestures. This year, it should prompt something more. As the federal budget approaches, the government has an opportunity to demonstrate that climate resilience is finally being treated as a national priority. Adequate resources must be allocated for adaptation measures, disaster preparedness, water conservation, ecosystem restoration and more livable, heat-resilient cities.
Just as importantly, climate considerations must be embedded across development planning rather than confined to a handful of environmental programmes. Pakistan has received ample warning of what lies ahead. The upcoming budget should show that the state understands the scale of the challenge and is prepared to invest accordingly.
• From penalising green technology to sidelining adaptation, the government’s spending choices seem to contradict its own climate commitments • Without new budget pillars, proper risk screening, end to ‘green taxes’, country’s fiscal plans will only deepen climate vulnerability
FOR a country whose economic survival is tied to shoring up its climate-resilience, the government’s budgetary allocations have failed to reflect this pressing concern.
Besides measures that discourage the adoption of solar energy and electric vehicles, the government continues to invest in mega-hydro projects despite adverse ecological impacts; proposes ‘false solutions’ such as carbon capture instead of reducing reliance on fossil fuels; and leaves the adaptation agenda by the wayside despite recurring floods.
The upcoming budget, according to officials from the climate change ministry, features at least eight proposed projects focused on climate resilience, afforestation, green growth, biodiversity conservation, and environmental monitoring under the Public Sector Development Programme — with a total allocation of Rs2.78 billion.
However, experts have repeatedly criticised the government’s seemingly “anti-climate policies”, particularly attempts to tax renewable energy, which they believe will undermine the climate-smart policy direction spurred by recent IMF and World Bank programs.
The IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) requires Pakistan to revise its public investment framework so that at least 30 per cent of the project appraisal weighting for infrastructure projects reflects climate change adaptation and mitigation criteria.
In the outgoing fiscal year, at least Rs86bn worth of PSDP projects were tagged as ‘climate adaptation’, and measures worth over Rs600bn classified as ‘climate mitigation’.
“This year, these numbers will increase. However, the true essence of tagging must be followed — it should be inclusive, not just a box-ticking activity,” said SDPI Research Fellow Dr Khalid Waleed.
Pakistan is no stranger to climate-induced disasters. From 1992 to 2021, it cost the country $29.3 billion, according to a State Bank of Pakistan report on climate change’s economic impact. The 2022 monsoon floods alone cost at least $28 billion. By 2050, Pakistan stands to lose up to 6.5 per cent of its GDP, with agriculture and industry bearing the brunt.
Both the SBP and experts agree the country is unprepared unless it climate-proofs its fiscal plans. The approach, they stress, must be rooted in science, putting people at the centre and promoting climate-smart development models.
All the tools
Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, an Islamabad-based climate expert and former climate change advisor at the Planning Commission, argues that while the government has all the tools at its disposal, it doesn’t seem interested in using them.
The government formally notified Pakistan’s Handbook on Climate Risk Screening for Policy Planning in June 2024. Yet, in the financial year that followed, none of the around 57 approved projects underwent “necessary risk screening, in violation of the approved policy”, said Mr Sheikh, who helped develop the handbook. “The budget exercise every year is basically the dialogue of the deaf,” he said, describing the process as devoid of climate-smart proposals.
Failing to climate-proof PSDP projects “increases the cost of climate action and makes populations more vulnerable”, he warned.
Dr Fahad Saeed, who runs the Weather and Climate Services think tank in Islamabad, regrets that scientific evidence is missing from Pakistan’s climate policymaking. The government allocates funds for climate action before even deciding whether they will be spent on mitigation, adaptation, or loss and damage. Without a cost-benefit analysis rooted in evidence, “decisions are not embedded in science,” he said, calling for an audit of climate-earmarked budgetary allocations.
Climate-tagging development
Last year, the government touted the budget as “climate-focused” and introduced “climate budget tagging” under the RSF to classify climate-sensitive expenditures in line with the National Climate Change Policy.
Ammara Aslam at the Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development said that while the associated conditionalities and mandatory climate screening are “present on paper, climate-proofing the budget would require a robust implementation framework”. Every department and sector, she argued, needs to transition “from broad, unallocated budgetary statements to funding specific, verifiable, climate-resilient infrastructure projects”.
Dr Shafqat Munir, who leads the resilience programme at SDPI, called tagging “a good step” but insufficient in the current scenario.
“IMF and World Bank programmes are helping to open the door, but they are not yet transforming Pakistan’s fiscal model.” The RSF, he noted, “is still too reform-heavy and financing-light. It can improve systems, but it cannot close Pakistan’s adaptation financing gap”.
New pillar
Dr Munir argued that climate change should be embedded as a standalone pillar in development planning, with new budget heads for adaptation, climate-risk financing, and anticipatory action.
“Let’s move beyond budget tagging,” he said, calling for poverty-proof and climate-risk-sensitive allocations for 2026-27. His five-point priority agenda: protection of people, livelihoods, infrastructure, fiscal stability, and growth — in that order.
Experts also urged the government to promote rather than tax green technologies. “Taxing green technologies does not do any service to Pakistan’s renewable energy goals,” said Ms Aslam, calling for existing and proposed duties on solar panels, battery storage, and related components to be scrapped.
Mr Sheikh agreed, warning such measures could undermine Pakistan’s climate-smart policy direction entirely.
Spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan starred in Pakistan’s four-wicket win in their decisive third and final one-day international against Australia in Lahore on Thursday.
Shaheen grabbed 3-30 to bundle Australia out for 157 before Shadab added a fighting 29 not out to his two wickets, helping Pakistan to their winning target in 41.5 overs.
That gave Pakistan a 2-1 series win — their third successive ODI series victory over Australia – after they won the first match by five wickets in Rawalpindi.
Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann’s career best 3-38 — including Babar Azam’s wicket for 40 — had given the visitors some hope of an unlikely win.
At 112-6, Pakistan were in a spot of bother but Shadab found an able partner in Abdul Samad as the duo added a match-winning 49 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket stand.
Shadab’s second boundary sealed the win, while Samad’s 18 not out included one boundary.
Shaheen praised a complete team effort.
“All bowlers executed plans well to keep Australia down to 157,” said Shaheen. “The conditions were tough for the batters but the players put in a great effort.
“I think it was a complete team effort throughout the series.”
Australian captain Josh Inglis praised his team.
“I thought the bowlers and the fielding group made a great effort to put us in a position to potentially win the game, but it wasn’t to be in the end,” he said.
“We have some young and inexperienced guys so it’s a great learning experience for them.”
Earlier, Shaheen was ably supported by Abrar Ahmed (2-19) and Shadab (2-28) as Australia’s innings folded in 42 overs after they won the toss and batted.
Spinners Abrar and Shadab built on Shaheen’s early strikes as Pakistan made a strong comeback after a disappointing loss in the second game.
Inglis top-scored with a 71-ball 65 which included eight boundaries and a six, with Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey scoring 19 each and Adam Zampa making 10.
Shaheen had Matthew Short caught off the second ball of the match before Inglis added 46 for the second wicket with Labuschagne and another 52 for the third with Carey.
But Australia lost their last seven wickets for a meagre 38 runs with two run outs also hurting their innings.
Australia won the toss and chose to bat against Pakistan at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
On Tuesday, an understrength Australia shocked Pakistan by 41 runs in the second ODI in Lahore, levelling the three-match series 1-1, with fast bowler Nathan Ellis taking a career-best four-wicket haul.
Teams
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Babar Azam, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Arafat Minhas, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
Australia: Josh Inglis, Matt Short, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Oliver Peake, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa.
