Sri Lankan security forces raid protest camp as new leaders sworn in

Sri Lankan security forces raided and partially cleared a protest camp occupying government grounds in Colombo early on Friday, fuelling fears that President Ranil Wickremesinghe had launched a crackdown a day after being sworn in.

Media footage showed soldiers in riot gear and armed with assault rifles tearing down the camp, set up in April by protesters enraged by the country's economic collapse and acute shortages of fuel, food and medicine.

Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister, was sworn in as president on Thursday after winning a parliamentary vote to succeed Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled to Singapore last week in the wake of massive public protests triggered by Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in seven decades.

"A joint operation involving the military, police and police special forces was launched in the early hours to recover the presidential secretariat from the protesters as they have no legal right to hold it," police spokesperson Nalin Thalduwa told Reuters.

Nine people arrested in the pre-dawn raid were later granted bail by a Colombo court, police said.

Protesters had feared a crackdown after Wickremesinghe as acting head of state on Monday imposed a national state of emergency. Many regard him as an ally of Rajapaksa.

Previous emergency regulations have been used to give powers to the military to arrest protesters and curtail the right to demonstrate.

A representative of the United Nations and Western envoys urged the government to exercise restraint, saying the use of force could further destabilise the island nation, whose economy desperately needs an International Monetary Fund bailout, having virtually run out of dollars to pay for vital imports.

The United States' ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, said she had met the new president to express "grave concern" over the violence against protesters in Colombo on Friday.

"This is not the time to crack down on citizens, but instead to look ahead at the immediate and tangible steps the Government can take to regain the trust of the people, restore stability, and rebuild the economy," Chung said in a tweet.

Just hours after security forces moved against the protest camp, another Rajapaksa ally, senior lawmaker Dinesh Gunawardena, was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new prime minister.

Seventeen other ministers completed the cabinet, with former finance minister Ali Sabry becoming foreign minister, while sources said Wickremesinghe would keep the finance portfolio.

As Wickremesinghe, lawmakers and officials listened to Gunawardena being sworn in at the prime minister's office, uniformed military officers sat on one side of the room.

Angered by the pre-dawn raids, hundreds of protesters marched from the city's main railway station towards the Galle Face protest site, where military and riot police manning barricades held them back.

"The very first day he used the armed forces - this is the face of Ranil Wickremesinghe," said Rajeevkanth Rajkumar, a construction company executive who was among the protesters. "We don't want any more innocent people to be injured. But we will go to that place (the protest site) at any cost."

Opposition politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who lost the vote for the presidency, said on Twitter: "Let's bring down the brutal ... regime that viciously attacked the protesters at Galle Face".

Soon after midnight on Friday hundreds of security personnel had surrounded the "Gota Go Gama" protest camp, mockingly named after Rajapaksa, and then had begun to tear down tents in front of the secretariat, according to protest organisers.

Security forces appeared to have taken control of the entire secretariat, which was earlier this month seized by protesters along with the president and prime minister's official residences. The residences were later handed back to government authorities.

At least 50 protesters were injured in Friday's clashes, the organisers said, including some journalists who were beaten by security forces. Hospital sources said two were hospitalised.

"They beat us really cruelly," said Buddhika Abeyrathne, 34, a protester who witnessed the raid but did not appear injured himself. "Mr Wickremesinghe doesn’t know what democracy is."

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SC relegates Hamza Shahbaz to ‘interim CM’ with limited powers

A Supreme Court bench at Lahore Registry on Saturday relegated Hamza Shahbaz to interim chief minister of Punjab - the status he held before July 22 - who would just serve as a ‘trustee’ as it heard the case against the ruling of the Punjab Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari which paved way for Hamza’s victory in the Punjab chief minister election.

This morning, Hamza Shahbaz had taken the oath as the CM again after defeating Pervaiz Elahi in the run-off election.

The hearing of the case has been adjourned till Monday which will be conducted in the Supreme Court’s main building in Islamabad.

The top court barred Hamza Shahbaz from making errant transfers and postings and directed him to work in accordance with the law and Constitution.

Hamza Shahbaz was also restrained from exercising any such powers which could benefit him politically.

The court said it would keep an eye on appointments during the span and those against merit will be declared null and void.

Earlier, the court termed the petitions against ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari as maintainable. The hearing resumed at 2:30pm after a gap of around four hours.

A three-member bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial is hearing Punjab Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s application against the ruling given by Punjab Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari canceling 10 votes cast by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) members in favor of him.

Other judges on the bench are Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan. The hearing is being conducted at Supreme Court-Lahore Registry.

Advocate Irfan Qadir represented the deputy speaker while Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman and Punjab Advocate General Shehzad Shaukat were also present in the hearing.

As the hearing resumed, Mazari’s lawyer submitted his client’s reply in the court.

The court asked where the deputy speaker was. Mazari’s lawyer said that he was present in the court for assistance.

The chief justice ordered to move all unrelated people out of the courtroom and adjourned the hearing briefly.

Owing to rush in the courtroom, the court decided to carry out the hearing via video-link.

The chief justice inquired Mazari’s lawyer about the paragraph of the court’s verdict which was referred by the deputy speaker in his ruling.

“It is my first appearance. You are taking a difficult test from me,” Qadir said and read the ruling before the bench on the order.

Justice Ahsan said that in the verdict, the role of the parliamentary leader was clear and asked what was ambiguous in it.

The lawyer argued that different court verdicts in the past had various interpretations.

The bench said that it had made clear that the votes against the party line should not be counted.

The court asked how 10 votes of PML-Q were canceled.

The court said that in the broader perspective, the deputy speaker’s ruling was not in accordance with the Supreme Court’s verdict in Article 63(A) case.

Qadir argued that the bench should put itself in the deputy speaker’s place to which the court asked where the record of the election it had sought was.

The chief justice said they want to see if Mazari had the letter sent by PML-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat.

The court restored Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz’s status before July 1, making him an interim chief minister.

The chief justice said that Hamza would serve as a trustee as they could not leave the province without an administrative head.

The court ordered the deputy speaker to submit a written response and directed the Punjab government to do so as well.

Morning hearing

Earlier, the bench said that the deputy speaker did not pinpoint the paragraph of the Supreme Court’s verdict on interpretation of Article 63(A) which he referred while pronouncing his ruling.

The matter apparently looks complicated, the bench said and expressed hope that all respondents would cooperate with the court.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) also filed a petition in the court challenging Mazari’s ruling.

In its application, the PTI said that the parliamentary head of PML-Q had directed the MPAs to vote for Elahi. It prayed to the court to declare Mazari’s ruling void.

During the hearing, Barrister Ali Zafar who was representing both the PTI and Elahi, said Hamza Shahbaz got 179 votes while his client Pervaiz Elahi secure 186 votes. Deputy speaker, however, rejected the votes of PML-Q MPAs.

Hamza has even taken the oath of the office, he added.

Zafar said that the deputy speaker read out the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the disqualification of lawmakers for not following the party line.

He said that the deputy speaker rejected the votes based on a letter from party head Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. He, however, did not consider the role of the parliamentary leader, Zafar argued.

The court then issued a notice to the attorney general and sought an answer from him.

The bench has also summoned Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari and ordered him to bring the record of the election with him.

The hearing was adjourned till 2pm.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, talking to the media ahead of the hearing at 2pm, said that the ruling coalition wants to make the bench controversial and accused SAPM Fahd Hussain and his paid journalists of running a Twitter trend against the top court.

Pervaiz Elahi approaches SC against Mazari’s ruling
Punjab Assembly Speaker and joint candidate of PTI-PML-Q in Punjab chief minister election, Pervaiz Elahi, had submitted the application through Advocate Aamir Saeed.

In his application, Speaker of Punjab Assembly had requested the court to hear the application today.

Mazari’s decision to cancel 10 votes of PML-Q MPAs came after he claimed to have received a letter from PML-Q Chief Shujaat Hussain which he read out in the House.

In the letter, Chaudhry Shujaat had directed his party members to vote in favor of Hamza Shahbaz in the run-off polls for CM Punjab.

“I confirmed the letter with Ch Shujaat Hussain thrice on the phone,” Mazari said.

The cancelation cost Elahi the coveted Punjab Chief Ministership.

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FM Bilawl Bhutto urges student to work hard for progress of Pakistan

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood interacted with students of the Narayan Jagannath Vaidya School hailing from different districts of Sindh.

On the occasion, the students were briefed on different aspects of life and career in the Foreign Office.

The Foreign Minister encouraged them to work hard for progress of Pakistan and wished them a bright future.

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Coalition govt demands full court hear petition against Dost Mazari's ruling

The coalition government on Saturday demanded that a full court hear the petition filed against the ruling issued by Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari in the election of the province's chief minister.

A joint statement has been issued in this regard, urging the chief justice to constitute a full bench to hear the case.

Mazari rejected 10 PML-Q votes after party chief Chaudhry Shujaat directed his lawmakers to vote in favour of Hamza Shahbaz, but they decided to support Pervez Elahi.

As a result, Elahi lost the crucial election, and he approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) — whose three-member bench is hearing the case, led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial.

The statement

In the statement, the parties said it will be fair that the full court bench, comprising all the respected judges of the Supreme Court, review the the Supreme Court bar application, the present application, and other related applications, and schedule them for hearing together and issue a single ruling because these are matters of national, political and constitutional importance.

The country is paying a heavy price of the resulting political instability is paying a heavy price, with the economy at risk of bankruptcy and the people suffering from inflation, unemployment and poverty, the statement said.

Turning their guns to PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the coalition rulers said that the former prime minister was moving the country's politics towards chaos.

"Imran Khan is repeatedly creating chaos in politics with the aim of avoiding accountability, hiding his corruption and gaining power through illegitimate means," they said in the statement.

The constitution draws clear lines of authority between the Legislature, the Judiciary, and the Executive, but an "arrogant violator of the Constitution" — Khan — wants to erase those lines, the statement said.

The coalition government said that the PTI chairman wants to move Pakistan's democracy and right to governance towards "default", "just as he did with the economy".

"Imran Khan's attitude and thought are like a 'termite' eating away at Pakistan [...] but the ruling coalition reiterates its commitment that there will be no compromise on the constitution, democracy and people's right to rule," they said.

They added that the coalition parties will move forward on every forum together and they will "fight against the darkness of fascism".

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PMD Warns More Rain in Karachi

After almost a week of light to moderate rain, the Pakistan Meteorological Department on Saturday forecast heavy rain in Karachi tomorrow.

According to chief meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz, heavy rain is expected in Karachi between 10 and 11 am tomorrow.

It is possible that more than 100mm of rain will fall in 2 to 3 hours, said Dr Sarfaraz. He said that the city would receive 130mm to 150mm of rain during the third monsoon rain spell.

Heavy rain is expected in some areas of the city until July 24 and 25, according to Dr Sarfaraz. The meteorologist said that moderate rain may continue on July 26.

He said that the intensity of rain in lower Sindh would continue to rise as a result of moisture from the Arabian Sea.

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Pakistan Logs 693 New Covid Cases, 2 Deaths In 24 Hours

Pakistan has reported 2 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,549,766. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 30,464 on Saturday.

According to the latest figures by the National Institute of Health (NIH), at least 693 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 across the country in the past 24 hours.

Pakistan has conducted 23,423 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 693 persons were tested positive for the disease. The COVID Positivity Ratio was recorded at 2.96 percent.

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Imran has nothing to do with public service: Sharjeel Memon

Imran Khan has nothing to do with public service, said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon.

According to Sharjeel Memon, who spoke at a press conference on Friday, Imran Khan’s politics are founded on lies.

He emphasized that the election commission should issue a decision on the foreign funding case so that the true face of Imran Khan can be revealed.
Imran Khan suffered the worst defeat in Punjab, according to Sharjeel, following Imran Khan’s call for a countrywide protest against ‘election manipulation.’

“If the roads are closed, the law will be enforced; bullying and hooliganism will not be tolerated,” said the Sindh minister.

He claimed that Shaukat Khanum Hospital funds were being used for social media. It is claimed that Shaukat Khanum Hospital funds are being used for social media.

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Hamza Shahbaz takes oath as Punjab's CM

Hamza Shehbaz Sharif has taken oath as Punjab Chief Minister. Governor Punjab Baligh-ur-Rehman administered the oath to him at a ceremony at the Governor House in Lahore.

Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman on Saturday administered the oath to Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz after a day of drama that saw Parvez Elahi see a shock defeat in the contest for the slot as provincial assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari decided not to count the votes of PML-Q lawmakers.

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Australian batsman Usman Khawaja calls on Big Bash League to privatise to survive

Australia batsman Usman Khawaja says the nation’s Big Bash League (BBL) needs to open up to private ownership if it is to survive in an increasingly crowded market for T20 cricket content.

The BBL, which runs from December to early-February 2023, will clash with South Africa’s new six-team T20 tournament starting in January.

Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners bought all six franchises in the South African league but the BBL’s eight teams are owned by governing body Cricket Australia and run by state associations.

A new league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), also backed by IPL money, is scheduled to launch in January, setting the stage for intense battles for the world’s top players.

Khawaja said the BBL faced a “fork in the road” over the next year or two as competition heats up.

“There’s a lot of cogs that make the decisions but personally you shouldn’t be afraid of moving the game forward even if that means that you let go a little bit on the reins,” Khawaja told reporters on Friday.

“There are other tournaments starting up that are privatised.

“If you don’t keep up with that, and there’s a small window for the Big Bash to privatise in the next few years, and I’m afraid if we don’t do that we’ll fall behind.”

A number of top players have been nominated for the BBL’s inaugural draft, including star Afghan spinner Rashid Khan and West Indian T20 stalwarts Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo.

But Khawaja said others were steering clear.

“I’ve talked to a couple and they’ve not listed for the draft because they want to spend Christmas at home and then will go and play in the UAE,” he said.

“That’s a red flag for me already.”

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Lawmakers to decide Punjab's fate as CM election takes place today

All eyes are on Punjab as lawmakers elect their next chief minister at 4pm today.

Lawmakers have already begun to arrive at the Punjab Assembly, with some PTI members flashing the victory sign.

The election, which will be chaired by Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari, comes a mere three months after incumbent Hamza Shehbaz secured the office on April 16 after garnering 197 votes — including 25 from PTI dissident MPAs — in a gruelling process that was punctuated by delays and violence.

The dissidents’ votes, which were instrumental in putting Hamza in the top seat, began a saga that went from their losing their seats to a Supreme Court interpretation of Article 63-A that retroactively gutted their votes, setting the stage for another election for the provincial chief.

 

What has transpired so far

PML-Q is courted by the PTI and opposition as vote of no-confidence brews against Imran Khan

Usman Buzdar steps down as CM to make way for Parvez Elahi as PTI-PML-Q candidate

In a session marred by violence, Hamza is elected Punjab chief minister after garnering votes from 25 PTI dissidents

A reference is filed against the dissidents with the ECP, urging the MPAs removal

They are eventually de-seated for defection, effectively making Hamza lose his majority in the house

Five PTI MPAs are notified on reserved seats

SC orders new election which will be held today

By-elections are held for the 20 general seats, 15 of which go to the PTI

One PTI MPA resigns amid claims of horse-trading

Elahi, who has 187 supporters, is poised for victory, while Hamza has 179

Where do the parties stand now?

Flourish logoA Flourish election chart

While numerically PTI stands at 187 including PML-Q’s seats, the number of votes it has is 186, as Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari of the PTI will not cast his vote because he will be presiding over the session. The speaker’s vote is used as a tie-breaker however.

How did all this start?
It started in February, as the vote of no-confidence was taking shape against Imran Khan, then the prime minister.

The PTI was trying to prevent the on-the-fence PML-Q from voting with the opposition, which was courting it.

Eventually, Usman Buzdar, the chief minister at the time, resigned from his seat to make way for Parvez Elahi as the joint PTI-PML-Q candidate.

Come election time, 25 PTI dissidents voted for Hamza. Their were instrumental in helping Hamza over the line; he received a total of 197 votes while 186 votes are required for a simple majority.

What happened next?

Following Hamza’s election, the PTI sent a declaration to Punjab Assembly Speaker Elahi declaring the 25 MPAs as defectors.

Subsequently, Elahi had sent the reference to the ECP, urging it to de-seat these lawmakers for defecting from the PTI by casting their votes in Hamza’s favour in violation of party directions.

Most of the 25 dissident MPAs tried to justify their action of voting in favour of Hamza by claiming that they had received no directives from the party. They raised procedural objections and claimed they never received any show-cause notices — a mandatory requirement.

On May 20, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-seated the 25 dissident MPAs, stating that they had defected from the party. Since these lawmakers were no longer members of the House, Hamza lost his majority.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ordered the chief minister’s re-election to be held on July 22 (today).

Five MPAs for reserved seats were notified by the ECP on July 6, leaving 20 empty seats. By-elections for the 20 seats were held on July 17 (Sunday) in which the PTI routed the PML-N to bag 15 seats while the latter secured only four seats.

Since the by-election results, the government and opposition have flung allegations and counter-allegations at each other.

The term “horsetrading” has returned to the political discourse amid alleged attempts to woo each other’s MPAs ahead of the crucial CM vote.

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Samina Baig summits K2 along with her team

Samina Baig summited the mighty K2 along with her team members and became the first ever Pakistani woman to scale the mountain. Following Samina’s summit, Naila Kiani reached the top, becoming the second.

Several other climbers from various countries, including female climbers from Oman, Lebanon, Iran, and Taiwan summited the peak on Friday morning.

The summit push started late last night as soon as rope fixing teams completed their jobs and the first group reached atop K2 at around 3am in the night.

Social media users have praised Samina Baig for her bravery. Samina Baig, who was born in Gilgit-Baltistan, became the first Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, in 2013 at the age of 22.

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Samina Baig summits K2 along with her team

Samina Baig summited the mighty K2 along with her team members and became the first ever Pakistani woman to scale the mountain. Following Samina’s summit, Naila Kiani reached the top, becoming the second.

Several other climbers from various countries, including female climbers from Oman, Lebanon, Iran, and Taiwan summited the peak on Friday morning.

The summit push started late last night as soon as rope fixing teams completed their jobs and the first group reached atop K2 at around 3am in the night.

Social media users have praised Samina Baig for her bravery. Samina Baig, who was born in Gilgit-Baltistan, became the first Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, in 2013 at the age of 22.

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ECP notifies Raja Sagheer's victory from PP-7

Election Commission of Pakistan has issued notification of the triumph of Raja Sagheer of PML-N from PP-7 Rawalpindi.

Votes of the PML-N candidate increase by 12, taking the total number of votes to 68,918 from 68,906 after verification.
The development comes hours before the crucial election of the Punjab chief minister which the Opposition alliance of the PTI and the PML-Q is likely to win due to their strength in the provincial legislature. The PML-N victory on the seat will not have a significant impact on the party’s position.

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President Alvi urges business community to fulfill its responsibility to uplift the society

President Dr. Arif Alvi has urged the business community to fulfill its corporate social responsibility to uplift the society.

Addressing the ceremony of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Business Excellence Awards 2022 in Islamabad, he asked the chamber's members to take concrete and affirmative steps for women inclusion in different business sectors to utilize their potential for the progress of the country. He said employment ratio of women needs to be enhanced.

The President said industries should collaborate with universities for imparting skills among the student as per the requirement of the market.

He underscored the importance of knowledge and intellect in today's economy and development. He said fast-track progress can be made with the help knowledge and intellect.

Earlier, the President also distributed awards among the winning business leaders.

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Dollar market under control, stability has returned: Miftah

Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Thursday said the dollar market was now “under control”, and claimed that stability had returned following the government’s announcement that it intended to complete the remainder of its term.

Following the PTI’s thumping win over the PML-N in 15 of the 20 seats in Sunday’s crucial by-elections, speculation had started about what such a result would herald for the longevity of the federal government. However, the coalition government announced on Monday that it would still see off its term rather than calling for early elections.

The political turmoil was not without its effects in the financial markets. Earlier today, the rupee’s slide against the dollar continued unabated with the local currency falling to Rs226 in the interbank market, with watchers attributing the losses to political “chaos” and a greenback that is strengthening against other currencies as well.

Addressing a press conference on the matter in Islamabad today alongside Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Ismail said: “The dollar market has been quite shaken for two to three days since July 17 but it has now been brought under control slowly.”

The finance minister acknowledged that there was a “political turmoil” and negative sentiment in the market amid fears of the federal government being shaken, but added that things were now “stable since the coalition government said that it was not going [anywhere]”.

The finance minister said one of the reasons for increased pressure on the rupee was the bill for last month’s imports. However, he said imports for this month and the next would be lower due to measures taken by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), which would further reduce pressure on the rupee.

Ismail said there were ample fuel reserves for one to two months and fuel demand had seen a reduction as well, due to high prices, so pressure on the rupee would decrease.

“You will begin to see its effects by next week, but more importantly, from next month when the daily demand for dollars in banks will be less than supply.”

Ismail said the economy was on the right track and all indicators, apart from the exchange rate, were positive.

He reiterated that the PML-N had already resolved to save the country from default even at the cost of its political capital, and had taken difficult decisions without any regret.

“I tell you that no cabinet colleague of mine has said to me: ‘Miftah you have bungled us up’, and instead everyone says ‘[you have] taken correct [decisions]’,” he said.

“We will take the same decisions no matter how many times the choice is to save Pakistan from default,” the finance minister said.

Responding to a question, Ismail said the SBP governor would be nominated by next week while the bank’s board members would be announced today.

Meanwhile, Asif said external factors had a bigger role to play in the dollar’s constant appreciation.

He, too, reaffirmed that the PML-N had decided to form the government at the potential loss of its popularity, to prevent a “sure default” and take the required difficult decisions.

Asif said exchange rate issues would eventually resolve themselves while the effects of default could be “far more terrible”.

“Pakistan’s economic safety is foremost and all other things, including politics, are secondary.”

Asif addressed the Punjab by-elections and acknowledged that some rifts were caused in the party due to contesting former PTI MPAs.

However, he said that as a whole, “it is our success and we have consolidated our position, not lost it.”

He said the by-polls were still a success for the PML-N as its votes and seats had increased. “The PTI has also gained, but these seats were already with the PTI. If there has been any value addition in it, then that translated into seats, there is no doubt about that.”

Asif said that in contrast to elections conducted under the PTI government, it was a matter of great respect for the PML-N that no one had raised rigging allegations about the by-elections.

“I want to emphasise that Hamza Shehbaz’s administration has carried out the most transparent elections of Pakistan’s recent history.”

He said the by-poll result was not a setback for the PML-N, and nor was its stance defeated or impacted by inflation.

“We protected the sanctity of the vote and did not allow it to be trampled despite our government being at stake. We fully realised this but did not make any compromise, which would become a liability for us tomorrow.”

Asif said the government had established a new tradition by not interfering in the by-elections. He added that the establishment’s decision to not interfere should also be welcomed, instead of being criticised.

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Sri Lanka swears in new president amid worst economic crisis in decades

Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president on Thursday, a day after winning a vote in parliament and urging the island nation to come together to find a way out of its worst economic crisis in decades.

The six-time prime minister succeeded Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled Sri Lanka and resigned from his post last week after mass protests over his handling of the economy. The swearing-in ceremony was conducted in parliament, and presided over by the country's chief justice.

The country of 22 million people has been crippled by a severe financial crisis, with a lack of foreign currency leading to shortages of essentials including fuel, food and medicines.

Sri Lanka received fresh diesel supplies over the weekend, and the main state-run distributor, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, will restart sales under a new rationing system from Thursday onwards, the power and energy ministry said.

The protest movement that pushed out Rajapaksa — the first sitting Sri Lankan president to quit office — remained largely muted, despite Wickremesinghe's unpopularity among some sections of the population.

Only a handful of people were present outside the presidential secretariat on Thursday, a colonial-era building that was stormed by a sea of protesters earlier this month along with the president and prime minister's official residences.

But some have vowed to fight on against Wickremesinghe.

“We won't give up because what the country needs is a total system change,” said Pratibha Fernando, a protester at the secretariat. “We want to get rid of these corrupted politicians, so that's what we are doing.”

Hours after winning the parliamentary vote on Wednesday, Wickremesinghe appeared to distance himself from the powerful Rajapaksa family that has dominated politics in Sri Lanka for decades.

“I am not a friend of the Rajapaksas. I am a friend of the people,” he told reporters after praying at a Buddhist temple in the commercial capital Colombo.

Wickremesinghe, who earlier served as prime minister and finance minister under Rajapaksa, has been involved in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bail out package worth up to $3 billion.

Sri Lanka is also looking for assistance from neighbouring India, China and other international partners.

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Draghi resigns as Italy PM, plunging country into political turmoil

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi handed in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday after his unity government fell apart, plunging the country into political turmoil and hitting financial markets.

Mattarella’s office said in a statement that the head of state had “taken note” of the resignation and asked Draghi to remain in a caretaker capacity.

The statement did not say what Mattarella would do next. Political sources said earlier this week that he would likely dissolve parliament and call early elections in October.

Mattarella plans to meet the speakers of both houses of parliament on Thursday afternoon.

Italy’s coalition crumbled on Wednesday when three of Draghi’s main partners snubbed a confidence vote he had called to try to end divisions and renew their fractious alliance.

The political crisis has up-ended months of stability in Italy, during which the respected former central banker Draghi had helped shape Europe’s tough response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and had boosted the country’s standing in financial markets.

Italian bond and stocks sold off sharply on Thursday just as markets were bracing for the first interest rate hike from the European Central Bank since 2011.

In early trade, benchmark 10-year Italian bonds yields soared over 20 basis points to their highest in over three weeks and Italian stocks opened down 1.8 per cent.

“It is a big blow to Italy’s ability to deliver policies and reforms over the near term,” said Lorenzo Codogno, head of LC Macro Advisers and a former senior Italian treasury official. “There will be delays and disruptions with early elections, and most likely no budget by year-end.”

Coalition fractures

Draghi had already tendered his resignation last week after one of his partners, the populist 5-Star Movement, failed to back him in a confidence vote on measures tackling the high cost of living.

Mattarella rejected the resignation and told him to go before parliament to see if he could keep the broad coalition going until the planned end of the legislature in early 2023.

In a speech to the Senate, Draghi made a plea for unity and set out a series of issues facing Italy ranging from the war in Ukraine to social inequality and rising prices.

But the 5-Star once again decided not to back him, saying he had not addressed their core concerns.

In addition, the rightist Forza Italia and League parties decided to shun the vote, saying they wanted a commitment that Draghi was willing to forge a new administration without 5-Star and with fresh policy priorities.

Polls say the conservative bloc, which includes the far-right Brothers of Italy party, would likely win a ballot.

 

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ECP rejects PTI plea to recount votes on PP-7 seat

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday rejected PTI’s plea seeking a recount of votes in PP-7 Rawalpindi-II — which it lost to the PML-N by a razor-thin 49 vote margin.

The decision was announced by a five-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja.

In the brief ruling, he said that the petitioner, PTI candidate Shabbir Awan, could neither prove any fraud or irregularity during the polls, nor was he able to state the reasons for the recount.

Immediately after it was announced, PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood took to Twitter, calling the verdict “against the law”. “Loss of neutrality and integrity by the ECP has far reaching consequences for democracy,” he said.

During the Punjab by-elections on Sunday, PML-N’s Raja Sagheer had won the by-poll on the provincial assembly seat with a margin of just 49 votes, defeating Awan. The PTI had also raised questions over the delayed announcement of the result in the constituency.

Subsequently, Awan submitted an application to the returning officer and requested a recount. His plea was, however, rejected drawing criticism from the PTI.

He had stated that the difference in votes between him and the winning candidate “falls under the prescribed threshold of five per cent of total votes polled and 10,000 votes pursuant to Section 95 (5) of the Elections Act, 2017”.

Later, Awan had approached the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench assailing the RO’s “illegal decision” of rejecting plea for recount in PP-7.

But on Wednesday, the court restrained the RO from consolidating the result of PP-7 and converted Awan’s petition challenging the RO’s decision to reject plea for recount into an application to be taken up by the ECP.

“In order to streamline the process, the petitioner is directed to appear before the respondent [ECP] on July 21 at 10am when the needful shall be done,” it had said.

The PTI’s petition claimed the results were uploaded on the RTS system.

During the hearing today, CEC observed that the PTI had not filed any application until 5pm on the day of the election.

“You submitted a request to the R&I department but withdrew it after 10 minutes,” he noted, saying that even after that the PTI blamed the ECP.

The CEC then called the officials of the R&I branch and asked them to submit a written account of everything that happened on the day of the polls, adding that all the matters should be clear.

Here, Awan’s counsel said that his client was present in court at the orders of the LHC.

Subsequently, reading out PTI’s petition which was submitted to the high court, ECP’s chief refuted the party’s claim that the RTS system was used during the by-polls.

At the outset of the hearing, Awan’s counsel said that they had approached the court as the margin between the votes of the two parties was very thin.

“Our law states that if the margin is less than five per cent, a request for a recount can be filed.”

He contended that as soon as the results were announced, his client had immediately approached the RO and later the court for a recount.

For his part, PML-N leader Raja Sagheer’s lawyer called PTI’s request “baseless”. “They failed to prove their point even in front of the RO.

“At first they were talking about the entire constituency. Now they are talking about 21 polling stations,” he said, adding that PTI’s stance was invalid because it kept changing.

 

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PCB to appoint Mohammad Yousuf as permanent batting coach

Former Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Yousuf may soon be serving as the permanent batting coach of the national squad.

The decision comes after Yousuf's release from the position of batting coach at the National High-Performance Centre (NHPC), Lahore. The position of the new batting coach at the NHPC will be advertised soon. It has yet to be confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The national cricket governing body had roped in former Australian batter Matthew Hayden as a batting consultant for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, but he will not continue to work with the green shirts.

Sources said that he was made the Pakistan team's temporary batting coach at the request of head coach Saqlain Mushtaq in the home series against Australia.

Yousuf is currently with the Pakistan Test team in Sri Lanka, where they secured victory over the hosts in the first match of the two-match Test series at Galle.

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Abdullah Shafique headed for top after Galle masterclass: Babar Azam

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam on Wednesday said that Abdullah Shafique can become one of the world's best Test openers after his epic century against Sri Lanka in Galle.

Shafique hit an unbeaten 160 to steer Pakistan home in a record chase of 342 at the picturesque venue as Pakistan won a tense opening Test in the final session on day five.

The 22-year-old batted for just under nine hours and five sessions against a spin attack led by the in-form Prabath Jayasuriya, who took a match tally of nine wickets.

"As a youngster, when you prove yourself and perform in tough conditions and difficult tracks, then it's good," Azam told reporters.

"His confidence was high after performing against Australia so he was on a different level. And to perform against quality bowling, your confidence goes up higher."

Shafique, who made 136 not out against Australia in Rawalpindi in March, recorded his second Test ton in just his sixth match since making his debut last year.

The right-handed batsman blocked, defended, drove and attacked in his 408-ball stay laced with seven fours and one six to win rich praise from the captain.

"The way he plays, so clean and with his focus, he will get many, many more such knocks," said Azam, who was involved in a key third-wicket stand of 101 with Shafique to set up the chase.

"I hope that he becomes one of the best openers in the world."

Shafique, who now averages 80 in 11 Test innings, put on 71 runs with wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan (40) and then an unbeaten final stand of 41 with Mohammad Nawaz, who made 19 not out.

The 27-year-old Azam also kept up his prolific run-scoring with a defiant 119 in the first innings and then 55 in the second to push Sri Lanka on the backfoot.

Azam rated his century as "special" among the eight Test hundreds he has hit in 41 matches.

"It was kind of special because the team needed it," said Azam, who batted with the tailenders in the first innings to help the team recover from 85-7 to 218.

"It was one of the best hundreds in Test matches (for me) because it was difficult. To play with tailenders you need double concentration to guide them and watch yourself as well. And I am happy that I did that."

Azam also lauded opposition spinner Jayasuriya for being their "main weapon" in just his second Test for Sri Lanka.

The second and final Test begins on Sunday, also in Galle.

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Aftab Sultan appointed NAB chairman

Former director-general of Intelligence Bureau Aftab Sultan has been appointed National Accountability Bureau chairman.

Sources privy to the matter said approval for Sultan's appointment was given in today's federal cabinet meeting.

The allied parties had opposed the suggestion to appoint Sultan as the NAB chairman. However, the PML-N held consultations and finally made the decision for his appointment.

Sultan has served as the IB DG twice and has remained associated with the police department on senior posts as a grade-22 official.

The coveted post was lying vacant since last month after then-NAB chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal on June 2 relinquished charge of his office on expiry of the ordinance through which he was given an extension till the appointment of a new chairman.

The four-year-and-eight-month-long tenure of Iqbal — who was appointed as the anti-graft body’s chairman in 2017 — was one of the most controversial eras of the bureau.

Constitutionally, the term of chairman NAB is four years while Iqbal completed his term in October 2021, but the PTI promulgated the NAB amendment ordinance through which he was given an extension till the appointment of a new chairman of NAB.

However, the PTI government did not start the process of consultation with the opposition leader for the appointment of a new chairman.

Now, under the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill 2021, which was passed by a joint sitting of Parliament — the NAB chairman, who completes a four-year term, cannot be appointed to the post for a second tenure.

The bill has also reduced the four-year term of the NAB chairman and the bureau's prosecutor-general to three years. The power to appoint the deputy chairman will rest with the federal government.

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Protesters reject new Sri Lankan leader

Anti government protesters have returned to the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital and say they will continue their weeks long uprising after parliament voted in acting leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country’s new president.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the GotaGoGama site in Colombo, where only last week they had celebrated Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation as president.
Addressing the crowds, protest leaders refused to accept six-time Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, 73, as the new head of state, holding him partly responsible for the country’s unprecedented economic and political crisis.

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COVID cases surge in Australia

Australia is in the midst of a third wave of coronavirus, driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, and earlier this month broadened access to second booster shots to deal with the surge in cases.

Daily cases climbed to 50,248 on Tuesday, the highest in two months. Some 5,239 Australians are currently in hospital with COVID-19, just short of the record 5,390 recorded in January.

Australia began relaxing strict health measures related to the coronavirus towards the end of last year, once most of the population had been fully vaccinated against the virus, but the high transmissibility of the Omicron variants has tested its plan of ‘living with the virus’.

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Govt asks Nepra to jack up electricity rates

The government has asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to allow increasing electricity rates by up to Rs11 per unit for high-end residential consumers across the country to bear the additional burden of consumers with lower consumption.

The rate approved by the federal government under the “tariff rebasing 2022-23” for consumers with a monthly consumption slab of 101-200 units and above is significantly higher than the Rs7.91 per unit increase in the uniform national average determined by the regulator a few weeks ago.

Besides the massive cross-subsidisation among various consumer slabs, the government would still be providing Rs234 billion in subsidies — Rs220bn for distribution companies of ex-Wapda and Rs14bn for K-Electric (KE) — to finance the tariff rebasing cost of poor consumers, according to the Power Division’s request to the regulator.

It said the request was based on government approval “in anticipation of approval of the cabinet” to modify the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) decision to the extent that “consumers consuming less than 100 units and falling in the non-protected category shall be charged Rs13.48/unit instead of Rs19.56/unit and that the consequential revenue differential shall be adjusted in various categories”.

The ECC approved a Rs3.50 per unit increase in base tariff in July, followed by Rs3.50 in August-September and the remaining Rs1 per unit in October billing.

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PTI body to work on withdrawing cases filed against members

PTI secretary general Asad Umar on Wednesday announced that his party has formed an "Anti Victimisation and Accountability Committee" to get criminal cases filed against party members following the "Azadi March" on May 25 withdrawn and identify officials who "tortured" protesters for legal proceedings.

"No one should think that we have forgotten May 25. Neither have we forgotten it nor will we let anyone forget it," he said on Twitter.

Former prime minister Imran Khan's march for haqeeqi azadi — true freedom — was preceded by the authorities invoking Section 144, a measure used to curb gatherings. Shipping containers were put in place on major thoroughfares to block their path.

A night before the march, police raids were reported on PTI leaders' residences. On the day of the march, party supporters and workers in Punjab met the worst form of atrocities.

In one such incident, ex-minister Hammad Azhar suffered injuries after tear gas was fired at him. On the other hand, the windshield of former provincial health minister Yasmin Rashid's car was smashed.

Separately, after the protest ended at the D-Chowk, an avalanche of cases was registered against Imran and other PTI leaders such as Rashid, Fawad Chaudhry, Azhar, Imran Ismail, Shibli Faraz, and others.

In a tweet today, Umar said that the party had constituted a committee that would oversee all the first information reports (FIRs) and "identify the fake cases".

It would be headed by former education minister Shafqat Mahmood and comprise PTI leaders Aamer Mehmood Kiani, Yasmin Rashid, Aon Abbas Buppi, and Raja Basharat.

Umar outlined that the purpose of the committee would be to collect all fake cases registered against PTI members in Punjab and take legal steps to get them withdrawn.

Furthermore, it would "identify officials responsible for illegal and criminal action" against party members and initiate legal proceedings against them.

The development comes after the party had a sweeping victory in the crucial Punjab by-elections after winning 15 out of 20 seats in the province.

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PAC summons NAB chief as Row deepens

The ongoing tussle between the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday worsened when the chairman of the former expressed his displeasure over the latter challenging its mandate in the Islamabad High Court.

During a meeting of the PAC, its chairman Noor Alam Khan while hinting at taking action under Article 6 against those NAB officials who had not declared their assets or presented the record of closed cases, issued notices to the anti-graft body’s acting Chairman Zahir Shah and  Lahore Director General Shahzad Saleem to appear before it on Wednesday (today) at 1pm. He also directed that if they did not appear before the committee, police should take them into custody and present them before the body.

Earlier in the day, the NAB acting chairman moved the IHC against the PAC, arguing that the committee issuing  notices was beyond its jurisdiction.

The PAC chairman remarked that if the accountability courts considered the public spending watchdog to be an ineffective body, it should tell the parliamentary committees to wrap up and go home, adding that NAB officials were trying to evade accountability.

He also said the PAC would take action against the NAB acting chairman and Lahore DG under Article 201 of the Constitution.

Article 201 reads: Subject to Article 189, any decision of a High Court shall, to the extent that it decides a question of law or is based upon or enunciates a principle of law, be binding on all courts subordinate to it.”

The PAC chairman noted that the NAB Lahore DG had sent a letter to the PAC over the case of a woman named Tayyaba Gul, who had accused the former chairman of the anti-graft body, Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal and other officials of harassment and also presented video evidence.

He added that the matter was related to corruption and he would summon all the NAB officials involved in it.

“I can’t understand why NAB officials are trying to run away from accountability?” he questioned.

Noor observed that the PAC had no personal grudge against anyone but it would take action against any public-office holder involved in corrupt practices.

“The PAC can hear public petitions under Article 201,” he added.

PAC member Sheikh Rohail Asghar from the PML-N said during the meeting that the committee could listen to matters pertaining to corruption but the background of the Tayyaba case also  needed to be taken into account.

“it needs to be asertained whether that woman and her husband are involved in corruption or not. It’s easy to taint a person’s reputation,” he added.

The issue related to the sports channel of a private TV media group was highlighted by the committee member Wajiha Qamar in the committee.

The information secretary told the PAC that a fact-finding committee was formed on the matter of PTV sports channel.

On the findings of that committee, the matter was sent to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Wajiha would be provided with the details of how the copyrights of the PTV were given to a private channel. A report has been requested from the auditor general of Pakistan in two days.

Noor noted that irregularities had been identified in this matter and the inquiry report of the fact-finding committee should be submitted to PAC.

Earlier, the NAB acting chairman had moved the IHC against the PAC, clsim7ng  that the committee was acting beyond its jurisdiction.

The petitioner made the NA  parliamentary affairs secretary, PAC chairman and others as respondents in his plea.

The IHC registrar fixed the acting chairman’s petition for hearing on Wednesday, despite objections. A single-member IHC bench headed by acting IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq will hear the case.

The petitioner said the PAC had exceeded its jurisdiction in its meeting on June 24 and requested the court to declare the minutes of the committee’s meeting released on July 7 as null and void.

The petitioner also asked the court to restrain the PAC from any action against him until the court gave a verdict in the case.

Earlier, the NAB Lahore DG had also challenged the notice issued to him by the PAC in the Tayabba  harassment case before the IHC.

The official had made the federation, PAC, and others as respondents in his plea.

The petitioner had contended that the PAC was exceeding its jurisdiction. He had maintained that the PAC did not enjoy any sort of jurisdiction in this particular case.

The petitioner had claimed his summoning along with the ex-NAB chairman raised a lot of questions about the PAC chairman’s impartiality.

 “It cannot be ruled out either that the committee chairman member of the National Assembly (MNA) Noor Alam Khan might have himself asked the woman to file the complaint against me and the ex-NAB chairman only for his own vested interest because he is already facing an inquiry by the bureau,” the petition had read.

Tayabba has sought permission to become a respondent in the petition filed by the NAB Lahore DG against the notice issued by the PAC.

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Rupee devaluation due to instability, gambling, speculations: Miftah

Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said Tuesday it was the coalition government's "priority" to save Pakistan from defaulting after the rupee hit an all-time low against the dollar and the stocks took a battering during the day's trade.

The Pakistani rupee hit a record low of 224 against the dollar in the afternoon interbank trade, before closing at 221.99 — the highest day-on-day depreciation after June 26, 2019 — while the benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 40,389.07 points — a 20-month-high.

Analysts said that the political uncertainty arising after the Punjab by-polls, the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) delay, and the shirking forex reserves have had adverse impacts on the market.

He added the rupee was continuously falling due to political instability, gambling, and speculations. But at the same time, he added said that the danger of default was not looming over Pakistan.

The finance minister credited the coalition government's tough decisions for avoiding default — raising petroleum products' prices, and power and gas tariffs, among other fiscal measures — that also paved the way for the crucial staff-level agreement with the IMF.

In a bid to secure the IMF loan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Shehbaz imposed three fuel price hikes — cumulatively totalling 50% — and raised the cost of electricity to effectively end the subsidies introduced by Khan.

But recently, after the IMF deal was secured, the government decreased the price of petrol by Rs18.50 per litre and diesel by Rs40.50 per litre.

Miftah said if the government gets fiscal space, it will reduce the price of petrol further.

Moving on, the finance minister assured that the government was targeting to overcome a major hurdle of the current account deficit and reduce it, while at the same time, increasing exports so that the pressure on the economy subsidies.

He said that if the current government continues its tenure, it would be a good sign for Pakistan as it will bring stability.

Miftah added that despite instability, the economy's roots had "strengthened" over the last four months.

The finance minister also noted that it was crucial for the government to take unpopular measures, but that also resulted in political setbacks — as the PML-N just lost Punjab to PTI in the by-elections.

"But if need be, we will take more tough decisions," he said.

Miftah said that the loan from IMF would soon be received and following that, friendly countries would also lend a helping hand to Pakistan.

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Fire engulfs homes near London as temperatures hit record 40C

Britain recorded its highest ever temperature of 40C (104F) on Tuesday as a heatwave gripping Europe intensified, forcing train tracks to buckle and fuelling a spate of fires across London.

The Met Office said the provisional record, which still needs to be confirmed, was recorded at 12.50 pm (1150 GMT) at London’s Heathrow Airport, surpassing the previous high of 38.7C recorded in 2019.

Stephen Belcher at the Met Office said he had not expected to see such temperatures in Britain in his career.

“Research conducted here at the Met Office has demonstrated that it’s virtually impossible for the UK to experience 40C in an undisrupted climate but climate change driven by greenhouse gases has made these extreme temperatures possible,” he said.

With the mercury still rising, train routes from London up the east and west coast of the country were cancelled, electricity companies reported mass outages and normally busy city centres appeared quiet. Network Rail tweeted a number of pictures showing large bends and kinks in rail tracks.

To the east of the capital a large fire engulfed homes in the village of Wennington, with flames tearing across neighbouring tinder-dry fields and approaching a historic church. Elsewhere large grass areas around the capital were on fire, blowing smoke over major roads and nearby areas.

London Fire Brigade declared a major incident and urged people to stop having barbecues.

Britain, which can struggle to maintain key transport services in extreme heat or snow, had been put on a state of national emergency over the unprecedented temperatures.

‘Do not travel’

Transport minister Grant Shapps said there had been a considerable amount of travel disruption.

“Infrastructure, much of which was built from the Victorian times, just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature,” he said.

Climate scientists said the once-unthinkable temperature in London was likely to become more common in coming years.

Sony Kapoor, a climate and macro-economic professor at European University Institute, said he had long thought that people underestimated the physical impacts of climate change in contemporary times. “But even I never thought we would see 40 degree Celsius in London in 2022,” he said.

The arrival of a searing heatwave that first sparked wildfires across Europe before arriving in Britain has turned the spotlight on to “net zero” pledges made by the candidates running to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister.

After Johnson championed the move to net zero status when Britain held the United Nations COP26 summit in 2021, some of the candidates to replace him have appeared more lukewarm and rated other challenges facing the country as their priority.

One candidate, Kemi Badenoch, said she believed in cutting carbon emissions but not in bankrupting the economy to do so.

Lawmakers who later gathered in a hot building in the House of Commons to announce the elimination of Badenoch from the competition were kept cool by multiple large fans.

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Russia seeks oil payments from India in dirhams: Report

Russia is seeking payment in United Arab Emirates dirhams for oil exports to some Indian customers, three sources said and a document showed, as Moscow moves away from the U.S. dollar to insulate itself from the effects of Western sanctions.

Russia has been hit by a slew of sanctions from the United States and its allies over its invasion of Ukraine in late February, which it terms a "special military operation".

An invoice seen by Reuters shows the bill for supplying oil to one refiner is calculated in dollars while payment is requested in dirhams.

Russian oil major Rosneft is pushing crude through trading firms including Everest Energy and Coral Energy into India, now its second biggest oil buyer after China.

Western sanctions have prompted many oil importers to shun Moscow, pushing spot prices for Russian crude to record discounts against other grades.

That provided Indian refiners, which rarely bought Russian oil due to high freight costs, an opportunity to snap up exports at hefty discounts to Brent and Middle East staples.

Moscow replaced Saudi Arabia as the second biggest oil supplier to India after Iraq for the second month in a row in June.

At least two Indian refiners have already settled some payments in dirhams, the sources said, adding more would make such payments in coming days.

The invoice showed payments to be made to Gazprombank via Mashreq Bank, its correspondent bank in Dubai.

The United Arab Emirates, seeking to maintain what it says is a neutral position, has not imposed sanctions on Moscow, and the payments could add to the frustration of some in the West, who privately say the UAE's position is untenable and siding with Russia.

The trading firms used by Rosneft have started asking for the dollar equivalent payment in dirhams from this month, the sources said.

Rosneft, Coral Energy and Everest Energy did not respond to Reuters emails seeking comment.

Russia wants to increase its use of non-Western currencies for trade with countries such as India, its foreign minister Sergi Lavrov said in April.

The country's finance minister last month also said Moscow may start buying currencies of "friendly" countries, using such holdings to influence the exchange rate of the dollar and euro as a means of countering sharp gains in the rouble.

The Moscow currency exchange is preparing to launch trading in the Uzbek sum and the dirham.

Dubai, the Gulf's financial and business centre, has emerged as a refuge for Russian wealth.

India, also maintaining a neutral position, recognizes insurance cover by Russian companies and has offered classification to ships managed by a Dubai-based subsidiary of Moscow's top shipping group to enable trade.

India's central bank last week introduced a new mechanism for international trade settlements in rupees, which many experts see as a way to promote trade with countries that are under Western sanctions, such as Russia and Iran.

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Health minister warns against overpopulation

Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel Monday gave an out-of-the-box solution to couples who want more children.

Presenting a solution to them, the federal minister said during an event that if couples want to have more children, they can go to a country where there are fewer Muslims — so that the Muslim population increases there.

The federal minister also stressed there should be greater awareness among the masses about family planning in order to keep the population growth in check.

Qadir expressed satisfaction that religious scholars are cooperating in this regard.

He said that the government wants to provide better health and education services to our population from the available resources.

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Ben Stokes announces retirement from ODI cricket

England’s talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes announced his shock retirement from one-day cricket on Monday citing the “unsustainable” rigour of playing all three formats of the game.

Tuesday’s match against South Africa at his home ground in Durham will be Stokes’s 105th and final one-day international, the 31-year-old said in a statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

“Three formats are just unsustainable for me now,” said Stokes, who will continue to play Twenty20 Internationals.

“Not only do I feel that my body is letting me down because of the schedule and what is expected of us, but I also feel that I am taking the place of another player who can give (captain) Jos (Buttler) and the rest of the team their all.”

Stokes, who took over as the Test captain in April, was player-of-the-match when England beat New Zealand in the final to win their maiden 50-overs World Cup at Lord’s in 2019.

One of the most exciting players of his era, Stokes has battled a spate of injuries in recent times and took a break from the game last year to focus on his mental well-being.

“I will give everything I have to Test cricket, and now, with this decision, I feel I can also give my total commitment to the T20 format,” he said.

Stokes his made ODI debut against Ireland in Dublin in 2011.

He has played 104 one-day internationals scoring 2,919 runs, including three hundreds, at an average of 39.44 with a 95-plus strike rate.

With the ball, he has claimed 74 wickets and is one of the sharpest fielders in the side.

Stokes is the second player from England’s triumphant 2019 World Cup winning team, after former captain Eoin Morgan, to quit one-dayers.

Rob Key, managing director of England men’s cricket, hailed Stokes’ “incredible international career” in the 50-overs format.

“I know this must have been a tough decision, but I completely understand why he has reached this conclusion,” Key said.

“It is a typically selfless decision that will benefit England long-term.”

ECB interim chief executive Clare Connor called Stokes a “superstar in every format”.

“Ben is not only one of the world’s best players, but an inspirational figure too so our ODI team will miss him,” she said.

“But having taken on the Test captaincy and with today’s busy calendar of cricket, we completely understand and respect his decision.”

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Covid-19 cases continue to rise, 459 fresh cases reported

The country recorded a slight rise in COVID-19 positivity ratio as 459 fresh cases of the virus were registered in the last 24 hours, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad's stats showed Tuesday morning.

According to the latest NIH statistics, during the last 24 hours, 16,419 diagnostic tests were conducted, out of which 459 came back positive.

The COVID-19 positivity ratio was recorded at 2.80%, however, it was another fortunate day for Pakistan as zero COVID-19 related death were reported in the country, the NIH data indicated.

As per NIH, still, 163 patients of COVID-19 are in critical care units and are being treated at different medical facilities around the country.

Experts blame two sub-variants of the Omicron variant, namely BA.4 and BA.5, for the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Pakistan, saying that they have escape mutations that are giving them an edge.

They say the sub-variants have also been infecting people who are already vaccinated or have already been infected with COVD-19, but no evidence is available to show if they are causing any severe disease among the vaccinated.

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Death toll from boat mishap in Indus River rises to 50, 28 still missing

The death toll from Monday’s wedding party boat mishap in Indus River has risen to 23, officials said.

The overloaded boat was heading to a wedding when it capsized in the Indus river in the district of Sadiqabad, the government said in a statement.

Nearly 90 people were rescued by divers, the statement said, adding that the passengers were mostly women and children.

All those on board belonged to one clan, and they were on their way to a family wedding across the river, it said.

Nearly 35 divers from a state-run rescue service took part in an operation to find and save more people who were in the river, the statement said.

A search and rescue operation is underway to locate the missing.

According to the police, two boats carrying a wedding party of around 150 people were coming from Rojhan to Machhka, and one of them overturned.

According to media reports, Hussain Kala's wedding convoy, who belonged to the Solangi community, was travelling to Sardarpur from Machhka in Kharorwali's Rojhan tehsil. The Rescue 1122 divers and district administration officials reached the site and with the help of locals rescued several passengers and retrieved the bodies of others.

So far, the bodies of 18-year-old Shabana, 22-year-old Hamidan, and 14-year-old Allah Dani have been identified, while the rescued include Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Ramazan, Luqman, and Muhammad Amin.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has also expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives.

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Elections will take place on time; PPP stands with allies, says Sharjeel Memon

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon Monday said that the elections will take place on time and the Parliament will complete its term.

His comments came after the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar depreciated and the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) plunged as its benchmark KSE-100 lost over 700 points amid the political uncertainty in the wake of the preliminary results of the by-polls in Punjab.

Speaking to journalists outside Bilawal House, Memon said that the party discussed the political situation during the central executive committee (CEC) meeting.

Memon said that the party has decided to stand with the allies and consult with them in a meeting tomorrow regarding electoral reforms.

"Shehbaz Sharif is the prime minister of the country and if Imran Khan has the majority, he should come forward," said the minister, adding that PPP is the only party that has strengthened the country.

The PTI had a "landslide victory” in the hotly-contested Punjab by-polls on Sunday as voting was held for 20 constituencies of the province.

The PTI managed to grab more votes compared to the PML-N, which has been in power for a very long time.

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Monsoon rains add to Karachi’s woes, kill two youngsters

A powerful monsoon system formed in the Arabian Sea caused torrential downpours in various parts of Karachi Sunday evening, but it claimed the lives of two youngsters.

According to the police, a woman and her three-month-old daughter fell into a flooded nullah in the Buffer Zone area while they were passing through on a motorbike. The woman was rescued in an unconscious state, while a search for her daughter was initiated.

According to officials, lightening struck 16-year-old Raju, son of Hashim Shaikh, in Malir's Jam Mahar Ali Goth, and he was immediately taken to a nearby private hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead, after which his body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

Farhan, son of Khalid, was electrocuted at his shop in Orangi Town, according to the Mominabad police, and his body was taken to the JPMC.

The much-feared monsoon rains wreaked havoc on the city, inundating all major thoroughfares and causing severe traffic jams for hours.

Rainwater flooded Shahrah-e-Faisal at various points, slowing traffic movement. Rainwater also hampered traffic flow on Drigh Road. University Road in the Safari Park area was completely flooded, halting traffic for hours due to the presence of large potholes.

Rainwater also flooded Nipa, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road, and parts of Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The situation in District Korangi deteriorated after most of the district's localities were flooded. Korangi No 1 and its surrounding areas were inundated, and the damaged roads brought traffic to a halt. Imran Athar, a citizen, was driving from Korangi to Shah Faisal when he became stuck in the rain for several hours.

Parts of Rashid Minhas Road were also submerged, halting traffic for hours. Rainwater accumulated at Shafiq Morr, slowing traffic movement, but Nagan Chowrangi remained open.

According to the traffic police, the Submarine Underpass was closed for traffic due to the presence of rainwater. Meanwhile, rainwater impeded traffic movement on Korangi Road.

Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab told the media that rainwater did not accumulate in large quantities at any point in the city, while the traffic continued to move. He stated that as a precautionary measure, heavy machinery had been deployed along various city thoroughfares, particularly in low-lying areas.

Wahab said the local government’s workforce was on standby and monitoring the situation. He pointed out that the storm water drains of the city were working normally, saying that Sharea Faisal and all the other thoroughfares were clear.

According to the Pakistan Metrological Department’s (PMD) data, the highest amount of rain in Karachi was recorded at 59mm in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, followed by 34mm in Quaidabad, 32.8mm in Orangi Town, 31mm each at the Jinnah Terminal and in Saadi Town, 29.5mm in the old airport area, and 23.5mm in Korangi.

Moreover, 23mm of rain was recorded on Shahra-e-Faisal, 20mm in Nazimabad, 18mm each at the PAF Base Masroor and in North Karachi, 16mm in Keamari, 15mm in DHA, 12.5mm at the Met Office on University Road, 10mm in Gadap Town, and less than 3mm in Saddar and in Surjani Town.

Residents of the Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Scheme 33, Malir, Quaidabad, Bin Qasim, Korangi, Landhi, Clifton, Defence, II Chundrigar Road, MT Khan Road, Keamari, and Gulshan-e-Iqbal areas, among others, complained of power breakdowns. In some areas, electricity was restored after a while, but some were still without power until the filing of this report.

According to K-Electric, power supply to most areas of the city continued during the current spell of rain. The KE spokesman said power was being supplied to the city through 1,750 of the 1,900 feeders.

He said that around 150 feeders had been shut down for safety, mostly in the areas with a high concentration of kundas (illegal connections) and electricity thefts. He requested the citizens to maintain a safe distance from all the electrical installations, and advised them to register their urgent complaints through KE’s call centre (118), social media channels, KE Live app, and SMS service (8119).

Under the influence of a depression [intense low-pressure area] over the Northeast Arabian Sea and the adjoining Gulf of Kutch, different areas of Karachi received moderate to heavy showers, Sindh’s chief meteorological officer, Dr Sardar Sarfaraz, told The News. "More showers, including some heavy falls, are also expected on Monday [today]."

Dr Sarfaraz said that the low-pressure area that converted into a depression moved in the west-north-west direction with a speed of 10 kilometres per hour during the past 12 hours, and now lay at a distance of about 160km south of Karachi and 140km from Thatta.

"The maximum sustained surface wind is 50-55 km/hour around the system centre. The system is likely to move westward [towards the Oman coast]. Under the influence of this weather system, rain with wind or thunderstorms with a few heavy to very heavy falls are likely in Karachi."

He said that similar situations can be expected in Sindh’s Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Dadu, and Jamshoro districts, and Balochistan’s Lasbela, Uthal, Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar, Jiwani, Turbat, Awaran, and Ketch areas.

"Heavy rains may trigger waterlogging or urban flooding in the low-lying areas of Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Dadu, Jamshoro, and Kambar-Shahdadkot in Sindh, and Lasbela, Uthal, Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar, Jiwani, Turbat, Awaran, and Ketch in Balochistan."

The officer said wind storms might cause damage to loose and vulnerable structures, adding that the PMD’s Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Karachi was closely monitoring the system, so updates would be issued accordingly. He requested all the relevant authorities to remain vigilant.

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PTI leader Shahbaz Gill released

PTI leader Shahbaz Gill was released Monday morning after being arrested by police a day prior for violating Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) code of conduct during the by-polls in Punjab.

A day earlier, the Punjab police had arrested PTI leader Shahbaz Gill in Muzaffargarh for allegedly visiting different polling stations during the by-elections in the city with his security guards who were dressed as FC personnel.

However, Gill denied allegations of keeping any security guards dressed in FC officials' uniforms. He claimed that he had been engaged for three hours and was suddenly arrested without a warrant.

In the wee hours of Monday, police presented Gill before the district magistrate court of the Tehseel Jataoi area where the court issued orders to release him.

Strongly condemn illegal arrest of Shahbaz Gill simply to try [and] rig elections [and] spread fear in [people], PTI Chairman Imran Khan had written on Twitter, taking notice of the incident.

"These fascist tactics will not work [and] our [people] will not be deterred from exercising their right to vote. Handlers of imported govt should realise the damage they are doing to our nation," he added.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had said that private security companies recruit retired personnel, adding that directions have been issued to authorities concerned that all such private companies should be banned.

 “I have ordered a high-level inquiry in this regard,” he had said, addressing a press conference earlier.

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COVID deaths continue to pile up on the back of rising cases

A total of five more people suffering from COVID-19 succumbed to the disease overnight in Pakistan, taking the country's total coronavirus death count to 30,445, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad's data showed Monday morning.

The country's COVID-19 positivity ratio, however, dropped further as only 492 people were found infected with the virus.

The new infections were detected after diagnostic tests on 20,361 samples, after which Pakistan's COVID-19 positivity ratio was placed at 2.42% and the total coronavirus case count at 1,546,744.

Meanwhile, 957 patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours. With the new deaths and recoveries, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan stands at 9,707.

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