In an election criticized by Western nations as neither free nor fair, Vladimir Putin has secured a resounding victory to extend his grip on power in Russia for at least another six years.

The Russian leader claimed an overwhelming 87.3% of the vote in the presidential election held over three days, his highest-ever tally, with a record turnout of 77.44%. This win marks Putin’s fifth term as president after constitutional changes in 2020 allowed him to circumvent traditional term limits, potentially remaining in office until 2036 when he will be 83 years old.

While leaders from China, North Korea and Iran congratulated Putin, the U.S., Germany, Britain and others dismissed the election as illegitimate. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed it as an “imitation” lacking any credibility.

The election was tightly controlled, with the only anti-war candidate barred from running and prominent opposition voices like Alexey Navalny silenced through imprisonment, exile or even death. With no real opposition permitted, the process seemed orchestrated to legitimize Putin’s continued leadership.

Despite economic headwinds of inflation and rising prices, Putin’s popularity remains high among many Russians buoyed by his nationalist rhetoric around the war in Ukraine and image as a strong leader. While met with skepticism abroad, the longstanding Russian president’s firm grip on power appears even more entrenched at home.

On Tuesday, an explosion in Peshawar’s Hayatabad area in Pakistan left at least six people injured, as reported by the country’s Dawn news agency.

A senior police officer informed Dawn that the incident appears to be a suicide blast. The injured victims were promptly taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, and a bomb disposal squad has been dispatched to the site to collect crucial evidence.

As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the blast, leaving the situation under investigation. Authorities are closely examining the incident and its potential implications while ensuring the safety and well-being of the affected individuals and the surrounding community.

Saudi Arabia has agreed to purchase Turkish drones as part of a series of lucrative contracts secured by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to the kingdom.

The signing ceremony, attended by Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, witnessed the agreement between Turkish defense firm Baykar and the Saudi defense ministry.

The acquisition aims to bolster the kingdom’s armed forces and enhance its defense and manufacturing capabilities, according to Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud.

The agreements reflect Erdogan’s diplomatic efforts to repair ties with Gulf Arab powers and provide a significant boost to Turkey’s struggling economy.

Birth rate, referred to as the crude birth rate, is a demographic indicator that quantifies the quantity of live births per 1,000 people in a given population over a specified timeframe, typically a year.

In 1960, India had a relatively high birth rate of 42.5 live births per 1000 individuals. During the same period, Canada, the US, China, France, Italy, the UK, Germany, and Japan showed birth rates ranging from 26.7 to 17.2.

However, the global birth rate landscape underwent a significant transformation by 2021. India’s birth rate declined to 16.4, indicating a substantial reduction in population growth. Similarly, Canada, the US, China, France, Italy, the UK, Germany, and Japan all experienced declining birth rates, ranging from 11 to 6.6 live births per 1000 people.

As per the World of Statistics, the report suggests –

Birth rate (per 1000 people):

India: 42.5
Canada: 26.7
US: 24
China: 20.8
France: 18.7
Italy: 18.1
UK: 17.5
Germany: 17.3
Japan: 17.2

2021:
India: 16.4
Canada: 9.6
US: 11
China: 7.5
France: 10.9
Italy: 6.8
UK: 10.1
Germany: 9.6
Japan: 6.6

FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sent to jail after a federal judge on Friday revoked his bail, The New York Times reported. He has been accused of trying to influence witnesses who are poised to testify against him in the trial. Sam Bankman-Fried remained under house arrest at his parent’s home in California since his arrest in December on fraud charges stemming from FTX’s implosion. However, Judge Lewis A Kaplan of the Federal District Court in Manhattan said that the arrangement will have to end. Lewis A Kaplan announced the decision after prosecutors said that Bankman-Fried had twice tried to interfere with witnesses in the case, including by giving documents to reporters.

Judge Kaplan said, “He has gone up to the line over and over again, and I am going to revoke bail.” After the order was read aloud, the two US marshals prepared to handcuff Bankman-Fried. His mother, Barbara Fried with his father, tried to approach him. However, a court officer cautioned her to stand back, according to The New York Times report.

Sam Bankman-Fried was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. One of Bankman-Fried’s lawyers Mark Cohen in court said that he intended to appeal, The New York Times reported. However, Judge Kaplan said that he will not wait for the outcome of the effort before sending Bankman-Fried to prison. Now, Sam Bankman-Fried will have to prepare for his trial scheduled to begin on October 2. Bankman-Fried’s lawyers on Friday filed a notice of appeal, CNN reported. Prosecutors sought to revoke bail after what they termed as a series of violations by Bankman-Fried, including contacting potential witnesses against him, by use of a virtual private network to subvert monitoring and speaking with a reporter about former FTX executive Caroline Ellison.

Ellison, who is also Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend, is one of several former business partners who plans to testify against him. Judge Kaplan on Friday sided with prosecutors’ claim that Bankman-Fried was “covering his tracks” when he allegedly leaked personal documents of Ellison to the New York Times by allowing a reporter to review them in person, according to CNN report. Kaplan further said that the former girlfriend’s intimate writings would only be leaked “to hurt, discredit and frighten the subject of the material,” CNN reported. However, Bankman-Fried’s attorneys said that he has a right to defend his reputation in the press.

They further said that the complexity of his defence, which involves hundreds of thousands of documents, requires Bankman-Fried to have access to a computer and the internet, CNN reported. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to various conspiracy and fraud charges. Since his arrest, he has repeatedly violated standard legal advice when it comes to talking to the media. He has blogged, tweeted and appeared in live interviews to share his version of FTX’s downfall.

The Sri Lankan Navy announced that a Chinese warship has docked at the Colombo Port on a three-day formal visit to the island nation, almost a year after the visit of a controversial Chinese ship with ballistic missile and satellite tracking facilities. In a statement, the Navy said the warship, HAI YANG 24 HAO of China’s People’s Liberation Army, arrived in the capital city on Thursday. The 129-metre-long ship is manned by a crew of 138 and commanded by Commander Jin Xin. It will depart on Saturday, the statement added. In August last year despite security concerns raised by India about the Chinese vessel’s presence in nearby waters, the Yuan Wang 5 had docked at the Hambantota Port following delays.

At the time, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry had said that the government engaged in “extensive” consultations with “all parties concerned” with a “view to resolving the matter in a spirit of friendship, mutual trust and constructive dialogue”. It said the ship was allowed to dock on the condition that no scientific research was conducted in Sri Lankan waters. On its part, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said that the ship would conduct scientific research “in accordance with international law”.

The interference of Taliban in the humanitarian assistance has become a massive roadblock in the distribution of aid to the Afghan people in need, said the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), according to TOLO news. According to SIGAR’s quarterly report to the US Congress, “Taliban interference in humanitarian assistance is the main barrier to beneficiaries accessing aid in 2023… there were a total of 110 access incidents related to Taliban interference in April 2023 alone.” Citing the report by SIGAR, TOLO news underlined that a third-party evaluation of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), Afghanistan’s central bank, revealed that it lacked independence from the, “Taliban regime and had deficiencies in anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism. Half of DAB’s assets that were previously held in the United States are now a part of the Afghan Fund, a Swiss charitable fund to be used to benefit the Afghan people. Treasury has said that DAB must prove its independence and the ability to counter illicit financing before the funds can be returned,” the report said.

Many nations are cutting back on their aid to Afghanistan, according to economist Mir Shikib Mir, because of rumours that the Taliban is meddling in the aid distribution. Shikib Mir said, “The interference of the Taliban in the aid process has been repeatedly reported, and therefore, many countries have reduced their assistance due to the concerns they have,” reported TOLO news. However, the Taliban refuted all the claims and denied any kind of interference in the aid distribution process in Afghanistan.

“We deny the SIGAR report. The Islamic Emirate has no interference in distribution of aid. We have accurate monitoring on the distribution of assistance to Afghanistan,” TOLO news quoted Taliban’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Abdul Latif Nazari as saying. Notably, today all foreign aid to Afghanistan stands halted, except for the assistance that is being given to international aid agencies and NGOs to directly help the Afghan people. The sudden stopping of aid caused a severe liquidity crisis and imports of urgently needed food and medicines could not be funded.

The Afghan government collapsed on August 15 in 2021 leading to the Taliban’s taking over of the country. Taliban’s swift ascension to power in Afghanistan has triggered economic disarray and a dire humanitarian crisis in the country. Since taking control of Afghanistan, it has banned girls beyond grade six from attending schools, and simultaneously, also banned women from attending universities since December last year. The regional and international communities and the people of Afghanistan have criticised the ban on girls’ education. The Taliban has, however, not lifted the restrictions.

Just three days before the completion of its five-year tenure, Pakistan President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly shortly after a summary signed by Prime Shehbaz Sharif advising the dissolution of the Lower House of Parliament, was sent to the Presidency. A statement issued by the Presidency just before Thursday midnight read: “President Arif Alvi has dissolved the National Assembly under Article 58(1) on the advice of the Prime Minister.” The dissolution of the National Assembly, which elects the federal government, has brought an end to the Sharif-led coalition government, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the Pakistani constitution, if the Assembly is terminated before its stipulated time, the general elections would be held within 90 days and if it completes its mandated period then the election will take place within 60 days. Following the end of the government, the Prime Minister will discuss with the opposition leader of the house to decide on a caretaker premier who will take charge until the next general elections. On his last day in power, Sharif on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the federal cabinet, made a farewell address in Parliament and chaired two separate meetings on overseas Pakistanis and the setting up of an ‘Olympic village’ in Islamabad, Dawn news reported.

Addressing the federal cabinet, he confirmed it was his government’s last day in power. The Prime Minister said the coalition government sacrificed their political capital for the sake of the country as they had a “gigantic task to save the motherland from looming default”. After the cabinet meeting, he went to the Parliament House to address the National Assembly. In his farewell speech in the Assembly, Sharif said he would start consultations on Thursday to decide about a caretaker Prime Minister within three days, who will choose his cabinet for three months or until the formation of the next elected government. Soon after the National Assembly’s late-night dissolution, troops were seen at different points in Islamabad. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the soldiers’ presence was because of security reasons or VIP movement.

At least 98 people have been arrested in the US and Australia in connection to sexually abusing children, more than two years after two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents were killed while investigating an alleged international paedophile ring. At a news conference Tuesday, the FBI and Australian Federal Police (AFP) said 79 arrests, 65 indictments, and 43 convictions were carried out as a result of the joint operation in the US, while 19 men were arrested in Australia, reports CNN. The alleged child abuse ring was a “peer-to-peer network” with “some offenders committing offences for over 10 years”, said Australian Federal Police Commander Helen Schneider. “Some of the children were known to the men who were arrested,” Schneider said without giving further details.

She added that there was a possibility of further arrests. The AFP started its probe in 2022 when the FBI passed on details of Australian members of the network allegedly sharing child abuse material on the dark web. “This operation was highly complex,” CNN quoted the FBI’s legal attache in Canberra, Nitiana Mann, as saying to the reporters. “The complexity and anonymity of these platforms mean that no agency or country can fight these threats alone.” The FBI legal attache added that over 200 international leads had been sent to partner countries and more than 300 investigations opened as a result of the joint operation. In a separate statement, the AFP said that most of the Australian offenders had jobs that required advanced IT skills. Members of the network allegedly used “software to anonymously share files, chat on message boards and access websites within the network”, using encryption and “other methods to avoid law enforcement detection”, the statement added.

On February 2, 2021, FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger died during a shootout at an apartment complex in Sunrise, Florida, while executing a federal search warrant for a computer programmer suspected of possession of child abuse material. Three other agents were wounded and the suspect in the shooting died at the scene.

Russian air defence system has shot down two combat drones headed for the capital, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said and added that no injuries have been informed, TASS News Agency reported. Sobyanin, on his Telegram channel, said, “Two combat drones have attempted to fly to the city. Both were shot down by air defence systems, one in the Domodedovo area, and another one in the vicinity of Minskoye Highway. No injuries have been reported.” Later on, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported a failed attempt by Ukraine to attack facilities in the Moscow Region by UAV, adding that two drones have been shot down by air defence systems.

“An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Moscow Region was thwarted during the night. Two drones were shot down by air defence systems,” the report said. The attempted terrorist attack did not cause any casualties or damage, the ministry added, according to the TASS News Agency. The tension between Russia and Ukraine started in 2014 but it escalated in 2022 after the former country started its special military operation in the latter country. Earlier, Ukraine had taken down Soviet-era signs from a hilltop monument in Kyiv and replaced the hammer-and-sickle symbol with a trident coat of arms, CNN reported.

Kyiv this week changed the Soviet hammer and sickle sign to a trident, the Ukrainian coat of arms, on the shield of the Motherland Monument, which dominates the skyline of the capital. “We believe that this change will be the beginning of a new stage in the revival of our culture and identity, the final rejection of Soviet and Russian symbols and narratives,” the Ukrainian culture ministry said. The week-long operation to dismantle the Russian insignia was finished on August 6, according to the ministry. This comes in the midst of a conflict when the country has struggled to define its cultural identity in the face of Russian aggression, CNN reported.

The monument, a 102-meter-tall monolith that dominates its surroundings, is made of steel. The woman clutching the sword and the shield bearing the Soviet hammer and sickle was shown in the 1979-built monument.