- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty in rare graft trial
- Fishy business caught by fraying India-Bangladesh ties
- US Open champion Sabalenka chases year-end number one ranking
- New Zealand scientists discover ghostly 'spookfish'
- Trump slams early voting, even while urging Pennsylvanians to do so
- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty to bribery in rare graft trial
- Major Hurricane John hits Mexico's Pacific coast
- IMF says ready for talks with Sri Lanka's new leftist government
- Phillies clinch division title, eye top seed
- Bills trample Jaguars, Commanders claw Bengals
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost ailing economy
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally on China stimulus on mixed day for markets
- Back to death row? Retrial verdict due in Japan murder saga
- Rare corruption trial of Singapore ex-minister begins
- Ghana a long way off from gender equality despite new law
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost economy
- Hamas weakened, not crushed a year into war with Israel
- Israeli economy struggles under weight of Gaza war
- Israelis united in trauma, divided by war after October 7
- New York Liberty riding WNBA boom into playoffs
- Union says new Boeing pay offer 'missed the mark'
- Environmental groups urge EU 'high risk' label for Sarawak
- Argentina seeks Maduro's arrest for crimes against humanity
- Morales issues Bolivian president 24-hour ultimatum to shake up cabinet
- Armenia and Azerbaijan see progress, but peace treaty seems distant
- World leaders gather at UN as Mideast tensions explode
- Biden's UN goodbye aims to 'Trump-proof' legacy
- Singapore ex-minister set for high-profile corruption trial
- Man Utd, Spurs eye respite from domestic woes in Europa League
- Guatemala picks Supreme Court judges with focus on anti-graft fight
- Jill Biden announces $500 million for women's health research
- Injured All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett out of Australia Test
- 'Lead the future': youth challenge world leaders at UN
- Goosebumps and stars as Paris Fashion Week kicks off
- Boeing boosts pay offer in effort to end strike
- Global markets inch higher on hopes of further rate cuts
- Amazon forest loses area the size of Germany and France, fueling fires
- 'Curious' Dupont eyes position change after claiming Top 14 award
- Man Utd stadium regeneration could add £7.3bn to British economy
- At COP16, Colombia seeks to lead by example on biodiversity
- Dupont caps off Olympic gold season with Top 14 player award
- Leeds to expand Elland Road to 53,000 capacity
- Mysterious 18th century diamond necklace set for auction
- World's oceans near critical acidification level: report
- California sues oil giant Exxon over plastic recycling 'myth'
- As wars rage, UN's critics say global body is failing its mission
- Amazon forest has lost an area the size of Germany and France
- Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams
- Telegram's Durov announces new crackdown on illegal content
- African players in Europe: Ice-cool Jackson strikes twice
New PM Sharif orders 'Pakistan speed' to fix stagnant economy
Pakistan's new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Thursday the country's economy had stagnated under his predecessor Imran Khan, setting the tone for possibly months of bitterness before an election that must be held by October next year.
Sharif, sworn in Monday after Khan was ousted by a no-confidence vote in parliament, is still finalising his cabinet but has called for "Pakistan speed" to hurry along development projects and fix the economy.
On Thursday the 70-year-old notorious workaholic visited a metro bus project in Rawalpindi and complained about the pace of infrastructure development.
"Almost all sectors of economy remained stagnant under IK," he later tweeted, referring to his predecessor by his initials.
His early-morning visit came after Khan on Wednesday night held a huge rally in Peshawar.
Khan -- along with most of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers -- quit the national assembly after losing Sunday's no-confidence vote, saying he would take his fight to the people to press for an early election.
On Wednesday, Khan said he would stage twice-weekly rallies across the country until a new poll date was set.
"Young people, get ready, I will take to the streets with you. I will go out in every city, and I will continue to go out until they are forced to hold election."
- 'Pakistan speed' -
Sharif, younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, set out his stall on Tuesday by ordering the government to adopt a six-day work-week, instead of the previous five, and bringing forward office opening hours to 8 am from 10 am.
His "Pakistan speed" policy is an extension of a similar programme he introduced as chief minister of Punjab, the country's most populous province, where he was credited with launching a series of high-profile -- and vote-catching -- projects.
The government would take unspecified "emergency measures" to stabilise the economy, Sharif's office said later, focusing on steps to improve the condition of ordinary people.
Sharif inherits crippling national debt, galloping inflation and a feeble rupee -- although analysts say Khan also took over a broken economy in 2018 that was further battered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Khan's ouster heralds the return of two dynastic parties that have dominated Pakistan politics for decades.
Sharif's centrist Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) joined forces with the centre-left Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) -- fiefdom of the Bhutto family -- to press the no-confidence vote.
Khan tried everything to stay in power after losing his majority in parliament through defections by his own lawmakers and a coalition partner -- including dissolving the assembly and calling a fresh election.
But the Supreme Court deemed all his actions illegal and ordered them to reconvene and vote.
The cricketer-turned-politician insists he has been the victim of a "regime change" conspiracy involving Washington and his opponents, and vowed to take his fight to the streets in the hope of forcing an early election.
On Wednesday night Khan told thousands of supporters that the new government was "imported", saying Pakistan needed to forge an independent global path.
He has said Washington wanted him removed because he refused to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and also because of his close links to China.
Washington, Moscow and Beijing have all congratulated Sharif since he took over.
G.Schulte--BTB