Pakistan’s media watchdog has put a ban on the broadcast of proclaimed offenders and absconders, including top opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. The ban came into effect following serious criticism of Pakistan government and state institutions, including the judiciary and the military by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif during his September 20 virtual address from London at opposition alliance conference in Islamabad. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued an order barring all TV channels from the broadcast of speeches, interviews and public addresses by proclaimed offenders and absconders on national television. On September 20, the country’s major opposition parties launched an anti-government drive under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), demanding the resignation of PM Imran Khan. At the multiparty forum, Pakistan’s deposed premier Nawaz Sharif alleged that there was “a state above the state in the country” and that the opposition’s struggle was not against PM Imran Khan but those who brought him into power. The speech was termed “anti-state” by the government.
Zardari indicted in Park Lane and Thatta Water cases
An anti-corruption court in Pakistan indicted former president Asif Ali Zardari in the Park Lane and Thatta Water Supply cases. Zardari, 63, the co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was present in the Islamabad-based court and pleaded not guilty. During the hearing, the court indicted 19 others accused in the Park Lane case and 15 others in the Thatta water supply case. The court last week had indicted Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur in a mega money laundering case. In the Park Lane case, Zardari and his son Bilawal Ali Zardari are accused of purchasing 2,460 kanals of prime property in Islamabad at extremely depreciated rates using frontmen. In the Thatta water supply case, a private contractor was illegaly awarded project contracts. In the money laundering case, it is alleged fake accounts were used by the former president and other accused to park and launder ill-gotten wealth.
Afghan President Ghani travels to Qatar
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani is travelling to Qatar for a bilateral meeting with Qatari leaders but will not hold a meeting with Taliban officials even as peace talks are underway in the country's capital city Doha, officials said. Afghan officials and Taliban began talks last month aimed at a reduction of violence and a possible new power-sharing agreement in Afghanistan. Ghani and his team will be stopping first in Kuwait to attend the funeral ceremony of the late Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah before travelling to Qatar, a close aide to Ghani said. "Several meetings are planned to discuss efforts for deepening Afghanistan-Qatar ties and mutual cooperation in various areas," said the official adding that Ghani will also meet the Afghan representatives who are holding talks with Taliban.
Umrah pilgrims return to Mecca
Mecca slowly stirred from a seven-month hibernation on Sunday as pilgrims trickled in after Saudi authorities partially lifted a coronavirus ban on performing umrah - a pilgrimage to Islam’s two holiest sites that is undertaken at any time of year. Saudi Arabia has allowed citizens and residents to start performing umrah as of Sunday at 30% capacity, or 6,000 pilgrims a day. It will open for Muslims from abroad starting November 1. Last year the Gulf state drew 19 million umrah visitors. At midnight, tens of registered pilgrims wearing face masks prepared to enter the Grand Mosque in small groups. As pilgrims circled the Kaaba, officials made sure they kept a safe distance apart.
Biden shatters Sept fundraising records
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has again shattered fundraising records, topping his already gargantuan August cash haul during the month of September, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation. An exact total for the month is not yet clear. But both people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he surpassed the $365 million raised last month through his joint fundraising effort with Democratic National Committee.
Japan seeks record defence budget
Japan’s defence ministry is seeking a record-high budget of nearly 5.5 trillion yen ($55 billion) for fiscal 2021to fund more purchases of costly American stealth fighters and expand its capability to counter possible threats in both cyber and outer space. The budget request made public is the first under new PM Yoshihide Suga and would be an 8% increase from the current year, signalling a continuation of his predecessor Shinzo Abe’s security policy. Japan’s defence spending has risen for eight consecutive years since 2013, a year after Abe took office. The rise in spending came as Abe pushed for Japan’s self-defence force to expand its international role and capability amid threats from North Korea and China.
Belgian ex-king’s daughter wins long battle
A Belgian aristocrat who has fought a seven-year legal battle to prove that Belgium’s former King Albert II is her father secured a success in court when she officially became a princess. Belgium’s appeals court granted Delphine Boel the title “Princess of Belgium” after the former monarch’s DNA test proved that he was her father, Boel’s lawyers said, adding Boel was “fully satisfied” with the ruling. Albert, who abdicated six years ago, had long contested Boel’s claim.
Egypt unveils 59 ancient coffins
Egypt last week put on show dozens of coffins belonging to priests and clerks from the 26th dynasty nearly 2,500 years ago, with archaeologists saying tens more were found in the vast Saqqara necropolis just days ago. The 59 coffins were discovered in August at the UNESCO world heritage site south of Cairo, buried in three 10-12 meter shafts along with 28 statues of the ancient Egyptian God Seker, one of the most important funerary deities. They belonged to priests and clerks from the 26th dynasty, said Mostafa al-Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. The Egyptian archaeological mission behind the discovery had been active since 2018 and previously unveiled a cache of mummified animals and a well-preserved tomb of a fifth dynasty royal priest called 'Wahtye' in the area.
Top US experts raise concerns over Trump adviser
Two senior US health experts have raised concerns that White House adviser Scott Atlas is providing misleading or incorrect information on the pandemic to President Trump. Top US expert Anthony Fauci said he was concerned that information given by Atlas was “really taken either out of context or actually incorrect”. The comments from Fauci came hours after a news report quoted Robert Redfield, director of the US CDC, sharing similar concerns. Atlas, a neuroradiologist with no background in infectious diseases, has faced scrutiny for downplaying the importance of face masks.
Sonic boom from French fighter jet shakes Paris
A French fighter jet broke the sound barrier as it scrambled to join a commercial jet that had lost contact with air traffic control, causing a sonic boom that reverberated through Paris and its suburbs, the defence ministry said. The sonic boom rattled windows in the capital, scattered startled birds and prompted a surge in phone calls to police. “A Rafale (warplane) based at Saint-Dizier, intervening to assist an airline which had lost contact, was allowed to break the sound barrier to join the airplane in trouble. It broke the sound barrier east of Paris,” army spokesman colonel Stephane Spet said in a statement. It was not immediately clear whether the problem with the commercial jet had been resolved. The Paris police explained what had happened in a statement on Twitter and urged people not to call emergency services about the noise.
Venezuela receives Russian vaccine
Venezuela has received a shipment of the Russian-made Sputnik-V vaccine against the coronavirus, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said. The delivery is the first in Latin America and will allow Venezuela to participate in clinical trials of the vaccine, Rodriguez said in a televised statement. "This cooperation for the Sputnik-V vaccine was the result of the permanent contact, the meetings, the close cooperation that exists between Venezuela and Russia," Rodriguez said. She did not say how many vaccines arrived. Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said 2,000 people will participate in a trial that begins this month in the capital of Caracas. President Nicolas Maduro in September proposed administering Russian coronavirus vaccines to nearly 15,000 candidates in upcoming legislative elections so that they can campaign safely.
Jacinda Ardern admits using cannabis
New Zealand's ruling party leader Jacinda Ardern said she tried cannabis "a long time ago" when asked during a heated live debate ahead of the Oct 17 general election. Ardern, 40, is widely seen winning a second term in office on the back of her success in containing Covid-19 but her rival, conservative National Party leader Judith Collins, has been clawing back support. New Zealanders are also voting on two other issues - on legalising recreational cannabis and euthanasia - topics that have split opinions in the country. In the second election debate, when asked by the moderator if she has ever used cannabis, Ardern said: "Yes I did, a long time ago." But she said she will only reveal which way she voted on the cannabis referendum after the election.
Moderna dose shows sign of working in older adults
Results from an early safety study of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine candidate in older adults showed that it produced virus neutralising antibodies at levels similar to those seen in younger adults, with side effects roughly on par with high-dose flu shots, researchers said. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offers a more complete picture of the vaccine’s safety in older adults, a group at increased risk of severe complications from Covid-19. The findings are reassuring because immunity tends to weaken with age, Dr Evan Anderson, one of the study’s lead researchers, said. Germany’s CureVac said it has started a mid-stage study testing its experimental vaccine and plans to begin a global trial with 30,000 volunteers in the fourth quarter.
