WORLD
Biden approves disaster declaration for Kentucky over deadly flooding
Biden has ordered federal aid to supplement Kentucky and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides, Xinhua news agency quoted the White House as saying later Friday. "Damage assessments are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed," it added
162 structures destroyed in California's largest wildfire of 2022
The Oak Fire, ignited a week ago in central California's Mariposa County, has rapidly grown to the largest wildfire so far this year in California. The fire burned over 19,200 acre (77.7 square km) with 45 per cent containment as of Friday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) on Friday.
7 dead in UAE floods after heavy rains
The UAE Interior Ministry has extended its condolences to the families of the victims who are of various Asian nationalities, Al Salem Al Tunaiji, Director General of the Ministry's federal operations, said in a tweet on Friday. Al Tunaiji added that 80 per cent of those who were evacuated have returned to their homes, noting the rescue operations are still ongoing in the affected three Emirates.
Kate Bedingfield stays as White House Communications Director
"After much thought, discussion and reflection, I've decided to stay," she wrote on Friday in a note sent to her colleagues. A longtime aide to US President Joe Biden, Bedingfield previously announced that she would leave the White House this summer, Xinhua news agency reported. "I regretted my decision to leave," Bedingfield tweeted on Friday afternoon.
Russia is facing 'economic oblivion' in its financial war with West, report claims
As panic spreads across Europe over the prospect of gas rationing and spiralling energy prices, it is in fact Russia which is on the ropes, with business in retreat and sanctions catastrophically crippling their economy, the Daily Mail reported. And while Russian President Vladimir Putin causes panic in European governments by throttling gas supplies, the strategy is unsustainable as he burns through reserves and his budget goes into deficit.
How a cricket match in UK was used to fund Imran Khan's party
According to the report, "Naqvi transferred three instalments directly to the PTI in 2013 adding up to a total of $2.12m", Geo News reported At the centre of the saga is Wootton Cricket Ltd, a Cayman Islands-incorporated company owned by Naqvi, and the money from charity fundraisers, such as the "Wootton T20 Cup", to bankroll PTI.
Putin preparing to flee Russia should he be defeated in Ukraine, claims report
With his Donbas offensive stalling, Ukriane preparing to re-capture Kherson and his economy crumbling, the Russian leader is "aware of the possibility of a sharp change of mood in the country", the Daily Mail reported. Last week, the General SVR channel reported that the 69-year-old had suffered from "severe nausea" overnight, with doctors at his bedside for around three hours.
With Pakistan on the brink of default, Gen Bajwa appeals to US to expedite release of IMF funds
The army chief reached out to the US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on a phone call earlier in the week, sources from both US and Pakistan revealed on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, Geo News reported, citing Nikkei Asia. They revealed that Gen Bajwa requested the White House and Treasury Department to urge the lender to expedite the bailout process and immediately release the nearly $1.2 billion that Pakistan expects to receive under a resumed loan programme.
German cities impose cold showers, turn off lights amid Russian gas crisis
Hanover became the first large city to announce energy-saving measures, including turning off hot water in the showers and bathrooms of city-run buildings and leisure centres, The Guardian reported. Municipal buildings in the Lower Saxony state capital will only be heated from October 1, 2022 to March 21, 2021, at no more than 20 degrees Celsius room temperature, and ban the use of mobile air conditioning units and fan heaters.
Pakistan likely moving towards snap poll
The ball has landed in the military's court, but it is still groping for a way out after working from behind for the exit, in collusion with the top judiciary, of the very governments it had helped install since 2016. In the process, Pakistan analysts say, it has invited unprecedented criticism in public that could compare with 1971, when the country was dismembered.
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