Asia pacific

Pakistani Premier Imran Khan will seek a vote of confidence in the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) following a major setback in the upper house elections on Wednesday. The move is aimed at restoring confidence in Khan's leadership after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party failed to win a majority in the 100-member Senate, despite having a numerical advantage in the lower house. Members of the National Assembly in the capital Islamabad and four provincial assemblies vote for the Senate members. Upper house lawmakers are elected for six years, however, all of them are not elected at the same time. On Wednesday, elections were held for 37 Senate seats. After the vote, opposition parties – mainly former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (N) and former president Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) – now enjoy the support of 53 members, and the ruling alliance of 47 members. Ruling parties generally secure a majority in the Senate. … [Read more...] about Pakistan: Senate election deals a blow to Imran Khan

Sri Lanka is set to re-open its borders to international tourists this month, and won't require visitors to quarantine during their holiday - but Brits have been left off the list for now. Holidaymakers who want to visit will need to be booked into one of 52 approved hotels, where they will be able to wander around the grounds and use facilities such as the pool, gym and spa. You won't be able to explore Sri Lanka in the same way as you could have pre-pandemic, but there are a number of attractions and landmarks that have been approved in a 'bio bubble' that tourists can visit, such as the Yala National Park, Sigiriya Fortress and the Temple of Tooth Relic. There isn't a minimum number of days required for a stay in Sri Lanka, but international guests will need to stay in the approved hotels for the first 14 days of their trip. That's not to say there won't be any restrictions for international travellers at all. For a start visitors won't be able to stay in a hotel that … [Read more...] about Sri Lanka to welcome back tourists without quarantine but Brits left off list

LADY Gaga is "emotional and grateful" for the safe return of her two French bulldogs and the recovery of her dogwalker, Ryan Fischer. The singer's pooches, Koji and Gustav , were snatched and Ryan was shot in the chest during a violent dognapping in LA last Wednesday. Gaga 's beloved pets were found tied to a pole two days later by a woman who is believed to be unrelated to the crime. The Poker Face singer, 34, "first got the news" that Ryan "was doing okay" and that her dogs were found safe on Friday, according to People . Gaga - who had arrived in Rome two days before the dognapping to film Ridley Scott's movie House Of Gucci - was "very emotional and grateful". "[When] she got the terrible news from Los Angeles, she was extremely upset," a source told the outlet. "She was worried about her friend and her dogs. It was a terrible start to her Italian work trip." Gaga offered a $500,000 reward for the person who found her pups and reports claim that … [Read more...] about Lady Gaga is ’emotional and grateful’ over the safe return of her two bulldogs and recovery of shot dogwalker