International

oi-Prakash KL

| Published: Tuesday, August 23, 2022, 9:19 [IST]

Islamabad, Aug 23: Imran Khan's close aide and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, Shahbaz Gill's room at Parliament Lodges was raided by police contingents today in the presence of Gill who was brought to the location amid strict security measures. The police team led by the senior superintendent of police (SSP) found arms in his room and the team also confiscated different cards and other items, according to ARY News. However, Shahbaz Gill stated that it was not his weapon and claimed that someone else entered his room in his absence.

Police officers escort Shahbaz Gill, center in blue shirt, a political aide to former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, after a court appearance, in Islamabad.PTI Photo

Ukraine: 9,000 of its troops killed since Russia began war

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has already killed some 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers since it began nearly six months ago, a general said, and the fighting on Monday showed no signs that the war is abating. At a veteran's event, Ukraine's military chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said many of Ukraine's children need to be taken care of because "their father went to the front line and, perhaps, is one of those almost 9,000 heroes who died".

International news brief: Singapore to decriminalize gay sex, but will limit change and more

Russia blames Ukraine for nationalist's car bombing death

Moving quickly to assign blame, Russia has declared Ukrainian intelligence responsible for the brazen car bombing that killed the daughter of a leading right-wing Russian political thinker over the weekend. Ukraine denied involvement.

Darya Dugina, a 29-year-old commentator with a nationalist Russian TV channel, died when a remotely controlled explosive device planted in her SUV blew up on Saturday night as she was driving on the outskirts of Moscow, ripping the vehicle apart and killing her on the spot, authorities said on Monday. Her father, Alexander Dugin, a philosopher, writer and political theorist who ardently supports Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops into Ukraine, was widely believed to be the intended target.

American city unfurls Indian national flag to celebrate independence day

In a sign of increasing popularity of India in the United States, a small little city in California has celebrated India's Independence Day by unfurling the national flag for the first time. Organised by members of the Indian American community, the "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" was attended by Pleasanton city Mayor Karla Brown.

The tricolour was unfurled by Nilu Gupta, Pravasi Bhartiya Samman awardee and a Hindi language professor at DeAnza community college. She received the award in 2021 to promote Hindi and Indian culture in the bay area.

Rise in criminal activities against women leads to sudden surge of unrest in China

Due to growing cases of criminal activities against women in China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is being forced to recognize the growing unrest within the country due to the lack of protection of the rights of women and respect gender equality and gender justice. The country witnessed a wave of change when this January, China was rocked by visuals of the mother of eight children seen chained by her neck to a post which caused severe unrest in the country.

This was followed by another video of an upmarket restaurant where a group of women is harassed and beaten up by Chinese men after a woman protested a man trying to lay his hand on her back which caused a furore in the country, the Singapore Post reported.

The two incidents generated a lot of heat on Chinese social media, especially against the deep-rooted sexist attitudes in Chinese society where women find it really bad to survive even today.

International news brief: IMF delegation to visit Sri Lanka next week

Trump requests special master to review FBI Mar-a-Lago raid evidence

Former US President Donald Trump requested a Special Master be appointed to review the evidence taken by the FBI during a raid on Trump's Florida residence at Mar-a-Lago and a more detailed receipt of seized property was provided, Sputnik, reported citing the court filings. Trump filed a motion in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Monday seeking an order that appoints a special master and requires federal authorities to provide a more detailed receipt of seized property.

The motion also requested an order requiring the return of any item seized that was not within the scope of the government's search warrant and as per the court filings, the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago are "presumptively privileged" as presidential materials and must be evaluated by a neutral Special Master reviewer. "Only an evaluation by a neutral reviewer, a Special Master, can secure the sanctity of these privileged materials," the filings said.

US affirms 'closer' than before on Iran Deal as Oil ends down after nearing 6-month low

Crude oil prices closed down after nearing six-month lows on Monday as oil bulls feared that Iran might win back its stalled nuclear deal from global powers to pave its re-entry into the export market for oil. Oil's slide from 14-year highs hit in March also prompted OPEC leader Saudi Arabia to hint at production cuts if the market kept tanking, Sputnik reported citing sources. "The paper and physical markets [for oil] are increasingly disconnected," Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said shortly after the benchmark for US crude came less than a dollar from revisiting Tuesday's low of under USD 86 per barrel.

Owing to international pressure US to discuss over frozen funds to Kabul

Owing to tremendous pressure from the international community, US President Joe Biden's administration is likely to initiate talks on the release of frozen funds to uplift the faltering economy of Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported citing sources. Notably, Washington stopped flying in hard currency, paralyzing Afghanistan's banking system and froze USD 7 billion in Afghan assets in the US Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The billions of dollars that are lying in Afghanistan's foreign-held assets are the need of the hour to stabilize Afghanistan's collapsed economy which also underlines the growing concern in Washington. The United Nations has highlighted that nearly half the country's 40 million people face acute hunger and are on the brink of starvation.

Story first published: Tuesday, August 23, 2022, 9:19 [IST]