Former PM and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is likely to return to Pakistan from London on October 15, media reports said. Since November 2019, 73-year-old Nawaz Sharif has lived in self-imposed exile in the UK. In 2018, he was found guilty in the Al-Azizia Mills and Avenfield corruption cases. Prior to his 2019 release on "medical grounds," he had been imprisoned for seven years in the Al-Azizia Mills case in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail. The sources claim that members of the immediate family chose the date. Shehbaz Sharif stated earlier this month that his brother would return in September and direct the party's general election campaign. The Election Commission of Pakistan revised the plan after deciding to defer the elections and undertake a new delineation of constituencies based on the latest census.
Taliban ban women from national park over hijab
The Taliban will use security forces to stop women from visiting one of Afghanistan’s most popular national parks, according to information shared by a spokesman for the vice and virtue ministry. The ministry alleges that women have not been observing the proper way to wear the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, when going to Band-e-Amir in the central Bamiyan province. This comes a week after the minister, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, visited the province and told officials and religious clerics that women haven’t been adhering to the correct way of wearing the hijab, asking security personnel to stop women from visiting the tourist hotspot. “Going sightseeing is not a must for women,” Hanafi said at the time.
Saudi storm brings chaos to Mecca
Fierce storms shut schools in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca region which was lashed by heavy rains and wind overnight. A bolt of lightning struck the iconic Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower hotel, illuminating the night sky. The storm brought gale force winds exceeding 80 kmph, Hussein al-Qahtani, spokesman for the National Centre for Meteorology, said. The conditions were similar to a 2015 storm that felled a crane at the Grand Mosque, killing over 100 people and injuring hundreds more, he said. No casualties were reported in the storm. Footage by Mecca residents showed pilgrims outside the Grand Mosque getting toppled over by the wind, which also sent crowd barriers sliding across the rain-slicked floor.
Trump mocks Kamala's accent
Taking a dig at US vice-president Kamala Harris’ accent, former president Donald Trump mocked her saying she talks in “rhyme”. In a video posted on X , Trump speaking to former Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson is seen saying, “She speaks in rhyme. It’s weird... Well, the way she talks: ‘The bus will go here and then the bus will go there! Because that’s what busses do!’ On being asked about the probability of Indian-African-American Harris becoming the candidate for Democrats in the next presidential election, Trump said: “This is not a president of the United States future”.
Srettha Thavisin elected Thai PM
Thai property mogul Srettha Thavisin was elected prime minister after a decisive win in a parliamentary vote last week as his party’s fugitive figure head Thaksin Shinawatra made a historic homecoming after years in exile and was taken straight to jail. The victory by 60-year-old Srettha paves the way for a new coalition government, ending weeks of uncertainty and stalemate in parliament after an election 100 days ago that threatened to weaken the political clout of the nation’s powerful military. Srettha, who was thrust into the spotlight just a few months ago by the populist heavyweight Pheu Thai, won the support from two thirds of parliament in a vote that followed hours of hysteria over the long awaited return of Thaksin from self-imposed exile.
3 US Marines die in aircraft crash during drill
Three US Marines died during military exercises in northern Australia on Sunday, the US military said, in an aircraft crash that PM Anthony Albanese called “tragic”. Five others were “transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in serious condition”, Marine Rotation Force Darwin said. It said they were among 23 Marines on the tilt-rotor MV-22B Osprey aircraft during routine training exercises and that the cause of the crash was being investigated. The crash occurred on the remote Tiwi Islands, said Northern Territory police commissioner Michael Murphy. Australian personnel were not involved in the crash, Albanese said. “Our focus is to make sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time,” the PM said.
Tornado uproots trees, injures 6 in Pennsylvania
An EF-2 tornado brought down trees and damaged homes as well as a resort and campground in southwestern Pennsylvania, injuring at least six people, authorities said. A storm survey just southeast of Connellsville found that the tornado snapped or uprooted trees across Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park resort and campground in Mill Run, where several hundred campers were present. Trees fell on RVs, cabins, and other structures and three tents were destroyed. Officials said three people were injured by falling trees. “There were large, large trees on vehicles, cabins and campers that people had taken there,” Susan Griffith, public information officer for the Fayette County Emergency Management Agency, said.
Genetic testing confirms Prigozhin death: Russia
Russian authorities have officially confirmed the death of the Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, with investigators saying that genetic testing showed that the victims of a plane crash last week matched all the names on the jet’s manifest. The announcement put an end to several days of speculation over the fate of the mercenary chief, who was presumed to have died in the plane crash, just two months after he launched a failed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership. US and Western officials believe the crash was the result of an explosion on board and several have said they think that Russian President Putin may have had Prigozhin killed in retaliation for his mutiny – a suggestion the Kremlin dismissed as an “absolute lie”.
Hundreds join largest Loch Ness monster hunt
Hundreds of hopeful volunteers joined a two-day hunt for Scotland’s fabled Loch Ness monster on Saturday and Sunday, in what organisers described as the biggest search for the elusive “Nessie” in more than 50 years. The Loch Ness Centre, which partnered with voluntary research team Loch Ness Exploration to organise “The Quest”, said they would be using surveying equipment that had not previously been tried at the loch, including thermal drones. Volunteers from around the world were allocated locations around the 23-mile (37-km) long lake from which to monitor for any signs of Nessie, while others took to boats. A hydrophone was also used to detect acoustic signals under the water.