The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that the much-awaited general election in the country will take place in the last week of January next year. The electoral watchdog said the polls, which were due in November, were delayed due to fresh marking of constituencies. The poll panel said a preliminary list of delimitations being carried out in line with the new census will be published on September 27. “A final list of new constituencies will be published by November 30 and the vote will take place late in January after a 54-day process that includes filing nomination papers, appeals and campaigning,” the ECP said. According to Pakistan’s constitution, elections must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of the national or a provincial assembly on completing a full term, or within 90 days if the legislature is dissolved earlier.
Tornado kills 10, hundreds relocated in China
A tornado in eastern China killed 10 people and seriously injured several others, state media said, the latest in a string of extreme weather events to strike the country. The tornado affected more than 5,500 people, with 137 houses collapsing, according to "preliminary statistics." More than 400 people have been temporarily relocated because of the twister, state media said. Video footage shared on social media showed high winds whipping debris around residential buildings, as well as a street strewn with fallen signs and other objects.
Ex-MP banned for ‘disrespecting Thai monarchy’
Thai politician and activist Pannika Wanich was banned from politics for life for breaching “ethical standards” with decade old photos deemed disrespectful to the kingdom’s revered monarchy. Wanich is an activist with the progressive Move Forward Party and previously an MP with the now-dissolved Future Forward Party. Thailand has strict royal defamation laws banning any criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his family. Srisuwan Janya, a royalist activist, filed a case in 2019 over Facebook posts on Pannika’s account, - including one at her 2010 graduation where she was photographed pointing at former King Rama IX - saying they were disrespectful to the monarchy.
Thousands evacuated in Indonesia
Indonesia’s Mount Semeru erupted last week, blanketing roads and homes in volcanic ash and prompting evacuations of nearly 2,000 residents in East Java province, according to authorities in the country. A statement from Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB) said no injuries or deaths have so far been reported and evacuees have taken shelter in public facilities, including village halls and schools. More than 20,000 face masks have been handed out to mitigate respiratory health risks from volcanic ash, it added. Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, PVMBG, said that the alert level of volcanic activity had been raised to the highest Level 4.
Swiss House okays ban on full-face coverings
The lower house of Switzerland’s parliament voted to give final legislative passage to a ban on face coverings, such as the burqas worn by some Muslim women. The National Council voted 151-29 for the legislation, which was already approved by the upper House. It was pushed through by the right-wing, populist Swiss People’s Party, easily overcoming reticence expressed by centrists and the Greens. The move follows a nationwide referendum two years ago in which Swiss voters narrowly approved forbidding niqabs, which leave slits for the eyes, and burqas as well as ski masks and bandannas that are worn by some protesters.
Zelensky visits US to shore up support
President Biden told President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine that the US would be “staying with you” as its grinding war with Russia continues, even as a growing faction of the Republican Party has threatened to hold up aid that Zelensky said could cost his country the war. Zelensky’s second wartime visit to Washington was spent visiting Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and, finally, the White House, in an extended appeal for more weapons. During a meeting at the Capitol with dozens of senators, Zelensky said Ukraine would lose the war without the aid, according to Senator Chuck Schumer.
Biden ally in Senate indicted on bribery charges
US prosecutors charged powerful Senator Robert Menendez and his wife with bribery over their relationship with New Jersey businessmen, which could complicate Democrats’ efforts to keep their slim majority in the US Senate in next year’s elections. The US attorney’s office accused the defendants of accepting thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for using Menendez’s influence as New Jersey’s senior senator to seek to enrich the businessmen, and benefit the government of Egypt. Menendez has been an important ally to President Joe Biden as he has sought to reassert US influence on the world stage as Biden rallies support for congressional aid to Ukraine and Washington looks for ways to push back against a rising China.
US to open embassies in Pacific islands
President Joe Biden is set to announce the opening of new US embassies on Cook Islands and Niue as the administration aims to demonstrate to Pacific Island leaders that it remains committed to increasing American presence in the region. The announcement about the new diplomatic missions in the South Pacific comes as Biden prepares to welcome leaders to Washington for the two-day US-Pacific Island Forum Summit. Talks are expected to heavily focus on the impact of climate change in the region. Biden has put a premium on improving relations in the Pacific amid rising US concern about China’s growing military and economic influence.
Iran detains 28 terrorists
Authorities in Iran have neutralised 30 bombs meant to go off simultaneously in Tehran and detained 28 terrorists linked to IS, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported, citing the intelligence ministry. “Some of the members are of IS and the perpetrators have a history of being affiliated with Takfiri groups in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Kurdistan region of Iraq,” Iran’s intelligence ministry added in a statement. The militant group has claimed several attacks in Iran, including deadly twin bombings in 2017 that targeted Iran’s parliament and the tomb of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Khomeini. More recently, IS claimed responsibility for an attack on a Shia shrine last October.
France to end military presence from Niger
President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country as a result of the coup that removed the democratically elected president. Niger’s junta said in response that the announcement signals a “new step towards the sovereignty” of the country. The announcement was a significant blow to France’s policy in Africa, with French troops having had to pull out of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years after coups there. France had stationed thousands of troops in the Sahel region at the request of African leaders to fight Islamic extremist groups. France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup.