Following the ouster of Nawaz Sharif from the post of Pakistan Prime Minister, the process of elect the interim Prime Minister began last week as the office of the National Assembly issued nomination papers for the election of a new leader of the House. The nominated interim Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and opposition’s candidate Sheikh Rashid got their nomination forms which would be submitted later this week. – The Hindu
For many months now, the acronym ‘SAITM’ has been making front-page news in Sri Lanka. Government doctors and university students have been agitating, demanding closure of the medical school that the privately-owned South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) opened in 2008, citing improper accreditation and poor standards. The area where the protest was taking place the riot police arrived and used water cannon to disperse the agitating group, citing a court order prohibiting the protest. They arrested as many as 13 students. - The Hindu
The Qatari authorities have accused Saudi Arabia of jeopardising the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca by refusing to guarantee the safety of those taking part. Saudi Arabia and its allies have been boycotting Qatar since June 5, accusing it of backing extremist groups and of ties to Shiite Iran, in the region’s worst diplomatic crisis in years. The Saudi hajj ministry said Qatari pilgrims arriving by plane must use airlines in agreement with Riyadh. They would also need to get visas on arrival in Jeddah or Medina, their sole points of entry in the kingdom. - The Hindu
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain are expected to discuss imposing new economic sanctions on Qatar when they meet in the Bahraini capital Manama on Sunday, the pan-Arab al-Hayat newspaper reported. Foreign ministers of the four countries “are expected to impose sanctions that will gradually affect the Qatari economy". The four Arab countries added 18 more groups and individuals they say are linked to Qatar to their terrorist lists last week. - The Hindu
A series of explosions and the sound of gunfire shook the Afghan capital on Monday, with a security source saying that a suicide bomber had blown himself up in front of the Iraqi embassy. The Islamic State has claimed the responsibility for the attack, reported The Indian Express.
