PAK NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO BE DISSOLVED ON AUG 9

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the National Assembly would be dissolved on August 9, three days before the term of the lower house of Parliament is scheduled to end, a move which will prompt general elections in the country within 90 days.

Sharif said this on Thursday at a dinner reception hosted in honour of the ruling allies at the Prime Minister's House, the Dawn newspaper reported on Friday The ruling coalition government is getting ready to face an election at the completion of the five-year term of Parliament on August 12.

At the reception, Sharif apprised the participants that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had finalised consultations within the party, and the premier will begin a final round of discussions with allies on the caretaker set-up on Friday. This process is expected to take at least three days.

CHINA TO ATTEND SAUDI MEET ON UKRAINE THAT EXCLUDES RUSSIA

China's decision to send its special envoy for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui, to Saudi Arabia for talks marks a diplomatic victory for Kyiv, the West, and Saudi Arabia, as it excludes Russia from the discussions on resolving the conflict in Ukraine. The meeting in Jeddah, comprising officials from around 40 nations, aims to establish key principles for a peaceful settlement to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressed China's willingness to contribute constructively to finding a political solution to the Ukraine crisis. Despite close ties with Russia, China's involvement is seen as a positive step towards potential peace efforts, supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point formula for a peace settlement.

PAKISTAN PASSES BILL TO MEET FATF DEMANDS

Pakistan’s Senate on Friday gave its nod to a Bill to establish a new authority to curb money laundering and terror financing, a legislation which is expected to help the country not to be on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) again.

On Thursday, the National Assembly passed the Bill, which seeks to form a central authority to curb money laundering and terror financing, bringing all institutions related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) under one command.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar moved the “National Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism Authority Bill” in the Senate, a day after it was passed by the National Assembly.

According to the draft Bill, the authority will be headed by a chairman who will be appointed by the Prime Minister.

The authority can convene meetings on the requisition of the chairman or half of its members.

Pakistan was placed on the grey list of the FATF in 2018 and had to make a huge effort to get out of it in 2021.

UKRAINE DRONES HIT KEY RUSSIA NAVAL BASE, DISABLE WARSHIP

A Ukrainian naval drone launched an attack on a Russian warship at Russia's Black Sea navy base in Novorossiysk, causing significant damage. The attack marks the first time the Ukrainian navy has operated so far from its shores. Russia's defense ministry reported repelling the attack by destroying the drones, without acknowledging any damage. However, a Ukrainian intelligence source revealed that a Russian Navy landing ship, the Olenegorsky Gornyak, was hit by a sea drone carrying 450 kg of TNT, rendering it unable to perform combat duties. Video footage showed the damaged ship being towed to shore. The attack has led to increased tension in the Black Sea region following Russia's withdrawal from a grain export deal with Ukraine.

MUTINOUS SOLDIERS IN NIGER SEVER FRENCH MILITARY TIES WHILE ‘HOSTAGE’ PRESIDENT PLEADS FOR U.S. HELP

Niger’s military junta says it is severing military agreements with France, its former colonial ruler, firing some of the previous government’s key ambassadors and warning citizens of the West African nation to watch for foreign Armies and spies. A regional delegation’s efforts at negotiation quickly deadlocked.

Two-day deadline

With two days remaining before a deadline set by the West African regional bloc to release and reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face possible force, Mr. Bazoum in a plea published in a Washington Post opinion piece said, “I write this as a hostage” and urged the U.S. and partners to help.

Niger’s mutinous soldiers face a Sunday deadline set by the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, whose envoys arrived on Thursday for talks. But those discussions stalled, with the delegation unable to meet the coup leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, or go into the capital, Niamey, according to a person with close knowledge of the talks.

RUSSIA DOUBLES 2023 DEF SPENDING PLAN

Russia has doubled its 2023 defence spending target to more than $100 billion — a third of all public expenditure — a government document reviewed by Reuters showed, as the costs of the war in Ukraine spira. The figures show that in the first half of 2023 alone, Russia spent 12%, or 600 billion roubles, more on defence than the 4.98 trillion roubles ($54 billion) it had originally targeted for 2023. Defence spending in the first six months of 2023 amounted to 5.59 trillion roubles, 37.3% of a total 14.97 trillion roubles spent in the period, the document showed.

‘FALSE FLAG ATTACK PLAN AT BELARUS OIL REFINERY’

The Security Service of Ukraine accused Russia on Friday of preparing to stage a “false flag” attack at the Mozyr oil refinery in Belarus in order to blame Ukrainian saboteurs as part of an effort to draw Minsk into the war in Ukraine. The attack, it said in a statement, would be carried out by military and intelligence forces sent by Moscow to Belarus disguised as Wagner mercenaries.

RUSSIANS, BELARUSIANS NAT’L RISK: LITHUANIA

Lithuania declared more than athousand citizens of Russia and Belarus living in the country to be threats to national security on Friday and said it was stripping them of their permanent residency permits. Lithuania, a Baltic nation that declared its independence from the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago, is a democracy that belongs to Nato and the European Union.

PAK HC TO TRIAL COURT: REHEAR IMRAN’S TOSHAKHANA CASE

Islamabad : In a major relief to former PM Imran Khan, the Islamabad high court on Friday declared “void” a trial court’s verdict last month that he could be prosecuted in the Toshakhana case. Chief justice Aamer Farooq ordered the trial court to “decide the matter again after rehearing” the case, which had led to Imran’s disqualification as MP by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) last October.

According to the case, Imran “deliberately concealed” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana — the state repository where presents handed to government functionaries from foreign officials are kept.

After disqualifying Imran, the ECP had moved the trial court — the Islamabad district and sessions court — for criminal proceedings against him. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief was indicted on May 10 this year. But the HC stayed the proceedings and directed the trial judge, Humayun Dilawar, to re-examine the matter in seven days. When he did, Imran’s counsel did not appear in three consecutive hearings. Finally, on July 9, the judge ruled the case “maintainable”. In his order on Friday on pleas by Imran, the HC’s chief justice Farooq rejected his appeal to transfer the case to another court but issued notice on a request by him to restore his right to defence witnesses. Earlier on Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed Imran’s plea against trial in the Toshakhana complaint after he “withdrew” his petition.

RUSSIA JAILS NAVALNY FOR 19 MORE YEARS FOR ‘EXTREMISM’

Russia on Friday handed jailed Opposition leader Alexei Navalny 19 years behind bars on extremism charges.

The heavy sentence against Mr. Navalny is the latest in a string of lawsuits against Russians who have protested Russia’s intervention in Ukraine.

Mr. Navalny is already serving a nine-year sentence in a maximum-security prison for “embezzlement”, a charge that his supporters say was trumped up in retaliation for challenging President Vladimir Putin.

CHINA TO REMOVE TARIFFS ON AUSTRALIAN BARLEY AS TIES IMPROVE

BEIJING: China will remove extra tariffs on Australian barley, in the latest thawing of ties between the two after years of tensions. Beijing imposed hefty levies on key Australian exports such as barley, beef and wine in 2020, leveraging its economic muscle at the height of a bitter dispute with the then-conservative government.

NEW COVID VARIANT EG.5.1 SPREADING IN UK: REPORT

London : A new Covid-19 variant, Eris (EG.5.1), descending from Omicron, was flagged in the UK last month and is spreading rapidly. UKHSA reported it comprises one in seven new Covid-19 cases, representing 14.6% of all cases in the country. It was classified as a variant on July 31, after being raised as a signal in monitoring due to international reports, particularly in Asia. Despite its spread, there's no indication that Eris is more severe, but continued monitoring and analysis are ongoing.

2 US NAVY SAILORS CHARGED WITH SPYING FOR CHINA

Two US navy sailors from California have been charged with sharing sensitive military information with China, including details on wartime exercises, naval operations, and technical data. While the cases involve similar actions, they are separate instances, and it's uncertain if they were both approached by the same Chinese intelligence officer. The sailors pleaded not guilty and will have detention hearings on August 8. These cases highlight ongoing concerns about China's espionage activities, as US officials have long identified the Chinese government as a significant threat in this regard.

WORLD’S OCEANS SET NEW SURFACE TEMPERATURE RECORD: EU BODY

Paris : The world’s oceans set a temperature record in the past week, with their surface hitting 20.96°C (69.7°F), European Union climate observatory data showed on Friday. Ocean surface temperature reached 20.96°C on July 30, according to the ERA5 database, while the previous record was 20.95°C in March 2016, a spokeswoman said.

Oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat produced by human activity since the dawn of the industrial age, according to scientists. Globally, the average ocean temperature has been besting seasonal heat records on a regular basis since April. “The ocean heatwave is an immediate threat to some marine life. We are already seeing coral bleaching in Florida,” said Piers Forster of the International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds.