WORLD
Sharif lands in the UK for the fourth time amid economic meltdown in Pakistan
Sharif is on the UK visit at a time when the country is suffering from high inflation, severe food shortages, a forex crisis and rising violence in large parts of the country, notably Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Pakistan is also wrestling with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure its 22nd loan which is reportedly held up due to political squabbles and instability.
Looking forward to engaging bilaterally with SCO nations: Bilawal Bhutto
Ahead of his departure, Bilawal, the first Pakistani Foreign Minister to visit India in over a decade, said that he was looking forward to "engaging bilaterally" countries that were part of the SCO, reports Dawn news. "On my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistan delegation at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan's strong commitment to the charter of SCO," he said on Twitter.
Pakistan's malice shows up again -- Kashmir issue raised ahead of Bilawal Bhutto's Goa visit
In letter to Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday, Alvi asked the MoFA to intensify its efforts to "expose India" over its move to hold the G20 Summit in Kashmir -- "the UN-recognised disputed territory". Alvi was responding to a letter by the Srinagar-based All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) whose convenor Mehmood Ahmed Saghar had written to the Pakistani President about the Indian government's plan to invite G20 member countries to Srinagar, which would make Kashmir look like India's internal matter instead of an international issue.
Drone attack causes fire at Russian oil refinery
The incident occurred at the Ilsky Oil Refinery in the Seversky district, causing no casualties, Xinhua news agency quoted Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev as saying. "Firefighters and emergency workers are already on site," Kondratyev posted on social media, adding there was no threat to nearby residents.
Brazilian police raid Bolsonaro's home
During the search operation on Wednesday, officers also arrested Bolsonaro's assistant Lt. Col. Mauro Cid as well as two of his security guards, reports Xinhua news agency. Bolsonaro confirmed the raid to journalists and denied any role in allegedly forging documents, reiterating that he had never taken a Covid vaccine.In a statement, the Federal Police said that it carried out a total of 16 search and arrest warrants, as well as six preventive detention orders, in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro.
Likelihood of El Nino developing later this year rising: WMO
This would have the opposite impacts on weather and climate patterns in many regions of the world to the long-running La Nina and would likely raise global temperatures, according to the WMO's El Nino /La Nina Update, which is based on input from WMO Global Producing Centres of Long-Range Forecasts and expert assessment.
The unusually stubborn La Nina has now ended after a three-year run and the tropical Pacific is currently in an ENSO-neutral state (neither El Nino nor La Nina).
Atlanta mass shooting suspect in custody: Police
The shooter has been identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, who on Wednesday opened fire at Northside Hospital medical facility in Atlanta, leaving one person dead and four others injured, reports Xinhua news agency. The victim, Amy St. Pierre, had worked for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sudanese army agrees to 7-day truce extension, but fighting continues in Khartoum
"As part of its initiative to deal with the country's current crisis, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) offered a new proposal including extending the current truce for a week and naming a representative from each side to discuss the truce," the SAF statement said. The SAF expressed acceptance of the proposal.
We did not attack Putin, says Zelensky
Zelensky, who is currently on a trip to Finland, told reporters in Helsinki late Wednesday night: "We are not attacking either Putin or Moscow; we are fighting on our own territory, defending our villages and towns. We don't even have enough weapons to do that... That's why we didn't attack Putin; we'll leave that to the (international).
Norway to increase defence spending to reach NATO guidelines by 2026: PM
"We will increase our defence spending to at least 2 percent of Norway's gross domestic product by 2026. We will draw up a plan setting out how we will achieve this," said the Prime Minister in a statement. His announcement follows an agreement in 2014 by all NATO member countries to meet a 2 per cent of GDP defence investment.
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