Month: August 2023

There is also a chance of some warm weather with temperatures above average, particularly in the South and South East.

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However, there is also the potential for some showers, thunderstorms, and some longer spells of rain at times.

Storm Betty brings heavy rain and winds

Storm Betty, the second named storm of the month, brought heavy rain and high winds to the UK on Friday night. Winds reached 66mph across North Wales.

The Met Office had warned that more than half a month’s rain was expected to fall on Friday.

Sunday

The weather is looking up for many on Sunday with warm sunshine.

There will be a few showers in the West and there could be heavy rain for Northern Ireland and Scotland later on in the day with blustery winds for north-west Scotland.

Monday to Wednesday

The forecast is for a North West/South East split in the weather from Monday to Wednesday.

The North West is likely to have longer spells of rain and wind. While the South East can expect warm sunny spells albeit with some gentle winds.

Why is it raining so much this summer?

According to Met Office spokesperson Oli Claydon, the “unsettled nature” of the weather this summer has been caused by the jet stream bringing low pressure across the Atlantic to the UK.

Heatwave on cards?

According to the Met Office’s long-range forecast, which runs from August 24 to September 1, a heatwave is not likely any time soon.

However, there will be some warm weather with temperatures above average, particularly in the South and South East.

What do forecasters say?

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern has suggested this summer has been in three acts and the final act may be a disappointment for some.

He said that the first act was June, which was the hottest June on record.

The second act was July, which was slightly below average as far as temperatures were concerned, but well above average as far as the rainfall was concerned.

The third act, he said, is likely to be a bit more typical for the UK with warm, longer, drier spells, perhaps, but also the potential for some showers, some thunderstorms, and some longer spells of rain at times as well.

He added that forecasting models for next week had changed but temperatures could be a bit warmer than average for parts of the South and South East with temperatures forecast to hit the high 20s.

 

ISLAMABAD: A day after the caretaker cabinet was sworn in, Interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar reshuffled the senior bureaucracy, The News reported on Saturday.

After PM Kakar’s nod, the Establishment Division (ED) issued a notification to transfer chief secretaries of Sindh, Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the federal interior secretary and Cabinet Division secretary and Islamabad chief commissioner and several other members of the bureaucracy at the senior level.

Furthermore, other transfers in the bureaucracy are expected in the next couple of days.

Amidst the new transfers and postings, Kamran Ali Afzal, a BPS-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), currently posted as director general Civil Services Academy, has been appointed as Cabinet Division secretary, according to ED’s notification.

Secretary Water Resources Nasir Jamy, a BPS-22 officer of PAS, is now posted as secretary Information Technology and Telecommunication Division. Shakeel Khan Bangash, a BPS-22 officer of PAS, who was an OSD [officer on special duty], is posted as secretary Housing and Works Division.

Secretary Housing and Works Muhammad Fakhar Alam Irfan, a BPS-22 officer of PAS, has been given the prestigious post of chief secretary Sindh. He would replace Muhammad Sohail Rajput, another BPS-22 officer of PAS, who has been directed to report to the Establishment Division. Syed Asif Ali Hyder Shah, a BPS-22 officer of PAS, who was also an OSD, has been appointed as secretary Climate Change Division, the communiqué stated.

Allah Dino Khawaja, a BPS-22 officer of the Police Service, who was commandant National Police Academy, is now appointed as secretary Human Rights Division, whereas Humaira Ahmad, a BPS-22 officer of PAS, who was awaiting posting at the Establishment Division, has been posted as secretary National Heritage and Culture Division.

Secretary Interior Syed Ali Murtaza, a BPS-22 officer of PAS, has also been transferred and posted as secretary Water Resources. Muhammad Abdullah Sumbal, a BPS-21 officer, who previously was acting as additional secretary (In-charge) Science and Technology, has been posted as additional secretary (In-charge) Interior Division.

The notification further added that Additional Secretary Power Division Shakeel Qadir Khan, a BPS-21 officer of PAS, has been appointed as chief secretary Balochistan. He would replace a BS-22 officer of PAS Abdul Aziz Uqaili, who would report to the Establishment Division.

Moreover, Captain (retd) Anwarul Haq, a BPS-20 officer of PAS, who was a member environment in the Capital Development Authority (CDA), has been appointed chief commissioner Islamabad. He would replace Captain (retd) Noorul Amin Mengal and by virtue of the CDA Ordinance, he would also hold charge of the CDA chairmanship.

Noorul Amin Mengal, who took over as chief commissioner Islamabad and the CDA chairman in January last, has been directed to report to the Establishment Division. Secretary Human Rights Division Ali Raza Bhutta, a BPS-22 officer of PAS, will now assume his duties as secretary Science and Technology Division.

Furthermore, the notification stated that Special Secretary Prime Minister’s Office Sarah Saeed, a BPS-22 officer of PAS, is now posted as secretary Commerce Division with immediate effect. The services of additional secretary Planning Dawood Muhammad Bareach, a BPS-21 officer of PAS, have been placed at the disposal of the AJK government for further appointment as chief secretary Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Chief Secretary Azad Jammu and Kashmir Muhammad Usman Chachar, BPS-22 officer of PAS, has also been transferred and asked to report to the Establishment Division. Two BPS-22 officers of PAS Special Secretary Cabinet Division Eazzaz Aslam Dar and secretary Information Technology and Telecommunication, Navid Ahmed Shaikh, have been directed to report to the Establishment Division.

Iram Anjum Khan, a BPS-22 officer of the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Service (PAAS), who was additional Auditor General-I, has been appointed as secretary Maritime Affairs. He would replace Abdul Ghufran Memon, another BPS-22 officer of the same service group. Secretary National Heritage and Culture Division Fareen Mazhara, BPS-22 officer of Inland Service, has been directed to report to the Establishment Division.

Additional secretary (In-charge) Petroleum Captain (retd) Muhammad Mahmood has been appointed additional secretary (In-charge) National Food Security. Momin Agha, BPS-21 officer of PAS, who was additional secretary (In-charge) Industries and Production, would replace him in Petroleum Division.

Director General Immigration and Passports Yawar Hussain, a BPS-20 officer of PAS, has also been transferred and directed to report to the Establishment Division. Additional secretary (In-charge) Climate Change Division Musaddiq Ahmed Khan, a BPS-21 officer of PAS, has also been directed to report to the Establishment Division, according to the ED’s notification.

North Korea on Saturday lashed out at the UN for accusing the Pyongyang regime of widespread systematic human rights violations and called North Korean defectors who had escaped from hardships “human scum”, according to state media.

The name-calling came after the nuclear-armed state was held accountable at the UN Security Council meeting on Thursday for spending heavily on its nuclear arms program while its people go hungry and lack basic necessities.

Ilhyeok Kim, a North Korean defector, told the council that he had been forced at a young age to work in fields without compensation, and that the grain they grew all went to the military.

“The government turns our blood and sweat into a luxurious life for the leadership and missiles that blast our hard work into the sky,” he said.

“The money spent on just one missile could feed us for three months.”

But the meeting was an “insult and infringement” to the spirit of he UN Charter, an unnamed spokesman of the Korea Association for Human Rights Studies said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

Pyongyang “strongly denounces and rejects the UNSC for having haggled about the human rights situation in an individual country,” the spokesman said.

“The DPRK people know well about their human rights situation and they make a right appraisal of it by themselves,” they added, referring to the North by its official name.

The North Korean defectors are “human scum, who fled after abandoning their homeland and parents, wives and children only to save their dirty lives,” the official said.

The hearing, requested by the United States, was the first in the Security Council on human rights in North Korea in six years, and came as Pyongyang has sped up its testing of nuclear-capable missiles in the past year, heightening tensions across East Asia.

No delegates from Pyongyang were present at the hearing.

China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a “stern warning” after voicing anger over a stopover in the United States by the island’s vice president, William Lai.

Lai, who is the frontrunner in Taiwan’s presidential election next year, stopped in New York and returned via San Francisco on a trip to Paraguay, one of a dwindling number of nations that diplomatically recognise Taipei.

China on Saturday called Lai a “troublemaker” and vowed to take “resolute measures… to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army “launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan” on Saturday, state media outlet Xinhua quoted military spokesperson Shi Yi as saying.

Xinhua said the drills, the scale of which was not immediately known, were meant to test the PLA’s ability “to seize control of air and sea spaces” and fight “in real combat conditions”.

They were also intended to serve as “a stern warning to the collusion of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists with foreign elements and their provocations”, it added.

Taiwan on Saturday said it strongly condemned “such irrational and provocative behaviour” and said it would dispatch “appropriate forces” to respond “with practical actions”.

“Conducting a military exercise this time under a pretext not only does not help the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights (China’s) militaristic mentality and confirms the hegemonic nature of its military expansion,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said in a statement.

– ‘New provocative move’ –

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has pledged to take it one day, by force if necessary.

It launched major military exercises after Nancy Pelosi, then House speaker, visited Taiwan last year and later when President Tsai Ing-wen met top US lawmakers as she transited through the United States.

Washington had called for calm over Lai’s transit, describing the travel as routine.

But on Saturday, an official from the ruling Communist Party’s Taiwan Work Office “strongly condemned” Lai’s trip, calling it a “new provocative move” by his party, the DPP, “to further collude with the United States”, Xinhua said.

“Lai’s latest ‘stopover’… was a disguise he used to sell out the interests of Taiwan in order to seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves,” the official was quoted as saying.

“Lai’s deeds have proven that he is an out-and-out troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war and bring deep troubles to Taiwan compatriots”, the readout continued.

At a lunch in New York during the trip, Lai vowed “to resist annexation” and continue to uphold the core tenets of Tsai’s administration.

Lai has been far more outspoken about independence than Tsai, to whom Beijing is already hostile as she refuses to accept its view that Taiwan is a part of China.

The Harvard-educated doctor turned politician has previously described himself as a “pragmatic Taiwan independence worker”.

The United States on Wednesday called on Pakistan to probe the mob attacks against churches and Christian homes that broke out in Faisalabad’s Jaranwala amid blasphemy rumors.

Hundreds of men attacked a predominantly Christian area on the outskirts of the industrial city earlier in the day after allegations spread that the Holy Quran had been desecrated.

“We are deeply concerned that churches and homes were targeted in response to reported Quran desecration in Pakistan,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

He said that while the United States backed free expression, “violence or the threat of violence is never an acceptable form of expression.”

“We urge Pakistani authorities to conduct a full investigation into these allegations and call for calm,” he said.

Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where anyone deemed to have insulted Islam or Islamic figures can face the death penalty.

Critics say that rumors of insults to Islam are often fanned as a way to settle scores against non-Muslims.

The anti-Christian violence is the latest unrest in the world’s fifth-most populous country, where on Monday a little-known senator, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, was sworn in as caretaker prime minister to see through elections.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday offered congratulations to Kakar in a post on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.

 

“As Pakistan prepares for free and fair elections, in accordance with its constitution and the rights to freedom of speech and assembly, we will continue to advance our shared commitment to economic prosperity,” Blinken said.

Kakar, who earlier promised “stern action” against the Faisalabad attackers, thanked Blinken in his own post on X.

“The interim government will be assiduously working to facilitate a free and fair election process in Pakistan,” his post said.

“We place importance on our partnership with the US and deeply value the shared commitment to economic prosperity, democracy and stability in the region,” added Kakar.

Pakistan has been wracked by instability after Imran Khan, the country’s most popular politician, was removed as prime minister and more recently jailed on corruption charges that his supporters call an attempt to bar him from office.

Khan has accused the United States of working to oust him, claims strongly denied by Washington, which says that it had policy disagreements with Khan.

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s cabinet is expected to take the oath today at 5pm after an official announcement for the names of selected members

The interim premier completed the consultation regarding his cabinet members on Wednesday, with several known names being tipped for key posts in the caretaker setup.

Sources said that former governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Dr Shamshad Akhtar is likely to be appointed as finance minister, The News reported, while former foreign secretary Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani is being considered for the post of interim foreign minister.

Earlier this week, Dr Akhtar — who was also finance minister in the caretaker government prior to the 2018 general election — was conferred Nishan-i-Imtiaz by President Dr Arif Alvi on Independence Day.

She served as the SBP governor from January 2, 2006, for a three-year term, becoming the first woman to head the country’s central bank.

Meanwhile, Jilani has 38 years of bilateral and multilateral experience as a public servant and career diplomat, having served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Belgium, Luxemburg, the EU, and Australia.

Jilani was appointed foreign secretary in 2012, and while serving the post, he was closely involved in negotiations and finalisation of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), signing the key agreements for the project during the visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang under the then Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government.

Top sources in the Prime Minister Secretariat said that eminent textile industrialist and Chief Executive of Ejaz Group of Companies Dr Gohar Ejaz is likely to be appointed as interim federal minister for commerce and industries.

All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) confirmed that Dr Ejaz will take oath as minister for commerce and industries today.

Earlier, sources confided to Geo News that defense analyst Syed Muhammad Ali is being considered for the information ministry.

It was further revealed that prominent banker Sultan Ali Allana was earlier tipped for the caretaker finance minister; however, due to his dual citizenship, two other names were now under consideration for the post.

According to the sources, the names of former finance minister Hafeez Sheikh and ex-SBP Raza Baqir are not being considered for the caretaker finance minister.

Furthermore, the name of Senator Sarfraz Bugti is likely to be finalised for interior minister, as previously he held the portfolio of minister of home and tribal affairs of Balochistan.

It was earlier reported that the interim prime minister would retain three senior aides to his predecessor Shehbaz Sharif.

It was also learnt that the interim prime minister had retired principal secretary to the prime minister (PSPM) Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, former advisor to the PM Ahad Cheema, and joint secretary Mohib Ali.

Shah would continue as PSPM till October this year after which he would move to the World Bank where he would serve as group executive director of Pakistan for four years.

Furthermore, Cheema is likely to be assigned a post equal to a federal minister, whereas Press Secretary to the PM Abdul Akbar would also be among the officers who would continue in the office.

Meanwhile, sources revealed that Arshad Muneer Khan, who has been promoted to grade-21, would be posted as principal information officer (PIO).

Military Secretary (MS) to the Prime Minister Brigadier Tajdeed Mumtaz would also continue to perform his duties.

The caretaker federal cabinet is expected to be short. Sources said it had been decided to only include reputable people in the caretaker cabinet.

The caretaker prime minister will also give special tasks to his cabinet ministers based on their portfolios.

The death toll from an explosion that ripped through a commercial area of a town in the Dominican Republic has risen to 25, a civil defense official said Wednesday.

The blast on Monday shook the commercial area of San Cristobal, less than 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the capital Santo Domingo, sparking a fire that burned for hours, and a huge column of smoke.

The official, Delfin Antonio Rodriguez told local news channel SIN that there were 25 victims who had either died at the scene, or later in hospital.

An official death toll will be announced later in the day.

Of the 59 people injured, 37 remained hospitalized, emergency officials said.

Local media reported that some of the wounded had suffered burns on up to 40 percent of their bodies.

Authorities said Monday that a four-month-old baby was among the dead.

The cause of the explosion has not been determined, nor has its exact origin.

The blast and resulting fire affected nine buildings, and partially destroyed four.