South Asia

Islamabad, Feb 9 (IANS) As the counting of votes for the national elections is underway, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Friday claimed to have leads on over 150 seats, and asked PML(N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to "accept defeat".

PTI on its official handle on X said: "Show some grace @NawazSharifMNS, accept the defeat! People of Pakistan will never accept you. This is a golden opportunity to regain some credibility as a democrat. Daylight robbery is going to be rejected massively by Pakistan! #PTIWon #RespectMandate."

In a video message posted on PTI founder Imran Khan's X handle, party chief Gohar Khan said: "We will be making the next government in Pakistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

"Attempts are being made to change the results. According to Election Act, results have to be announced by 2 p.m. However 100 per cent results are yet to be announced. I urge the Election Commission of Pakistan to announce the results as soon as possible," Gohar, who has won NA-10 in Buner with 110,023 votes, said.

PTI-backed candidates Fazal Muhammad Khan has won NA-25 Charsadda II Muhammad Abdul Salam and Sultan Room have won their seats from PK-58 Mardan and PK-9 Swat, Iftikharullah Jan has emerged victorious with 39,538 votes in PK-64 Charsadda III, Dawn reported.

PTI-backed candidate Saleem Rehman has won from Swat's NA-3 with 81,411 votes, according to the preliminary result announced by the ECP.

Meanwhile PML-N's Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the party will form the government in the Centre and Punjab province.

In a post on X, she said that the results were still being received by the party’s election cell.

"Due to the unavailability of mobile and internet services, it became difficult to get the results,” she said, adding that the party's position was "strong".

To form the government in the country, a party needs to secure win on 133 of the 265 seats. Polling was postponed on one seat after death of a candidate.

--IANS

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San Francisco, Feb 9 (IANS) US-based car-sharing company Getaround, which helps vehicle owners rent out their cars, trucks and SUVs to other peers, has announced to lay off 30 per cent of its workforce as part of a restructuring.

In a message to employees, Getaround founder and CEO Sam Zaid said that the decision to lay off workers is part of the company's plan to better meet the global nature of the carsharing business.

“Our focus on profitability and sustainable business growth necessitated this difficult workforce reduction program,” Zaid said in a statement.

"We’ve made significant progress over the past year, including steady improvements in revenue growth and unit economics, as well as in overall adjusted EBITDA profile and operating efficiency," he added.

The latest job cuts will affect the company’s North American staff, effective immediately.

The company anticipates that this cost-reduction program will result in savings of approximately $7 million on an annualised run-rate basis. It also expects to incur up to $1 million in restructuring costs in connection with the workforce reductions.

"While we believe this restructuring plan is the right decision for the business, it does not diminish the challenge of letting talented colleagues go, or the gratitude we have for the dedication and professionalism of the team," Zaid said.

The affected will receive up to 12 weeks of severance, full benefits through the end of February 2024 along with pay for three months.

In February last year, Getaround laid off about 10 per cent of its workforce with immediate effect as part of a restructuring, with an aim to put the company on the path to "sustainable profitability and long-term growth".

--IANS

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Tel Aviv, Feb 9 (IANS) An elderly Israeli citizen, who was believed to be kidnapped during the October 7 attack, died on that day itself and his body is being held by Hamas in Gaza, southern Israel village community Kibbutz Be'eri said.

The family of Manny Godard, 73, has been informed that he was murdered during Hamas October 7 attack on Israel and that his body is being held by terrorists in Gaza.

Immediately after the attack, there was no trace of Godard and family presumed that he was in the custody of Hamas. However after none of the hostages, who were released from Hamas custody during the weeklong ceasefire from November 24 to December 1, claimed to not have seen him during their custody period, there was skepticism in his family as well as community whether he was alive or not.

However, there was no formal announcement until now.

Godard's wife Ayelet called one of their children on October 7 screaming that her husband had been killed and that she was hiding in the bushes from the terrorists.

Ayelet's body was found and identified nearby two weeks later, but Godard's body was not recovered.

The couple is survived by their children, Mor, Gal, Bar and Goni, as well as six grandchildren and several siblings.

A eulogy posted on the kibbutz website on Thursday remembered Ayelet as a longtime educator, "a special teacher, one from days gone by, the kind who brought nature into the classroom and took the children outside," and who shaped many of the youths who grew up in the Kibbutz and nearby.

She was an "incredible mother and a revered grandmother," who also "believed with all her heart in the Kibbutz and its members, and was an active part of Kibbutz life".

Godard, the community said, had "a love of sports, the ocean and people". He was a professional soccer player in the 1970s before enlisting in the army and fighting in the Yom Kippur War.

In the Kibbutz, he worked in a successful printing house, a local store, as chief economist and a lifeguard.

--IANS

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New York, Feb 9 (IANS) Indian-American doctor Amish Shah has stepped down from the House of Representatives in the US state of Arizona to focus on his congressional campaign.

The first Indian-American to serve in the Arizona legislature, 46-year-old Shah announced his run as a Democrat last year from the state's 1st Congressional District, which is presently held by Republican David Schweikert.

"With mixed emotions, I resigned as your House Rep this week to pursue my Congressional campaign. Serving at the State Legislature was an incredible honor, offering diverse perspectives. As a Congressional candidate, I am eager to bring our collective values to the national stage," Shah wrote in a post on X.

Along with Shah, an emergency physician for over 15 years, at least six other candidates are seeking a Democratic-run from the district, which covers parts of Scottsdale and northern Phoenix.

The top issues Shah is running on include education, healthcare, and voting rights, and according to his website, he wants fair wages for workers, universal healthcare, and abortion access.

Thanking Shah for his service and leadership, the Arizona House Democrats said on X: "Worth your time. @DrAmishShah bids a fond and thoughtful farewell to his House colleagues. Dr Shah, who is running for Congress, resigned today after 5 years in office and a tremendous track record of bi-partisan legislation".

Shah’s departure leaves three empty Democratic seats in the House amidst the legislature’s bill season, Arizona-based KGUN9 news channel reported.

Shah said in a release that he raised more than $530,000 from individual donors in the opening quarter of his congressional campaign, and over 75 per cent of these donors were from Arizona.

According to his campaign statement, he has made a name for himself with his unique brand of door-to-door campaigning, having visited over 15,000 households, and to date, he has had more bills signed into law than any other Democrat currently in the Arizona legislature.

"Giving back is a core value for me. Because of the sacrifices of my parents, who both came to this country from India to pursue a better life, I was able to become a doctor... and be the first Indian-American to serve in the Arizona legislature," Shah said in an earlier statement.

Born and raised in Chicago, Shah's parents were engineering students who immigrated from India in the 1960s.

He attended Northwestern University in Evanston and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

He graduated from the Northwestern University Medical School as part of the Honors Program in Medical Education.

Outside of his medical practice, he founded the first Arizona Vegetarian Food Festival as a philanthropic endeavour to promote healthy eating.

He was named the 2022 Women's Health Care Champion Legislator of the Year by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology for his work protecting reproductive rights.

He also received the Nursing Hero Award in 2022 from the Arizona Nurses Association and the President's Award for Mental Health Advocacy from the Arizona Psychiatric Society.

--IANS

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Sanaa, Jan 15 (IANS) The US and the UK have conducted a new strike on Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV has reported.

The strike conducted on Sunday evening targeted the Jad'a mountain in the Alluheyah district in the northern part of the city, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the report.

The strike was the latest in a series of similar air raids carried out by US and British warplanes in the past three days.

The US and the UK have stated that the strikes came in an attempt to deter the Yemeni Houthi group from launching further attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, a vital waterway for global trade.

The Houthis said that their operations in the Red Sea aimed to prevent what it called "Israeli-linked ships" from passing through the Red Sea until Israel ends its attack and siege on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip.

On Saturday, the Houthis said the recent airstrikes on their positions by the US and the UK would not deter them from continuing attacks on Israeli targets, vowing to launch more strikes soon.

Hodeidah, under the control of the Houthis, is a lifeline for delivering humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to Yemen, which has been mired in a civil war since 2015.

--IANS

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Jerusalem, Jan 15 (IANS) As the bloody Israel-Hamas conflict entered its 100th day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to continue the military campaign in the Gaza Strip until "total victory" is achieved.

"We must conduct this war, and it will yet take many months," Netanyahu said on Sunday despite growing international calls to halt the war due to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

During his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu presented a 2024 budget proposal to his government, seeking approval for a plan that involves tax hikes and the implementation of a uniform 3 per cent reduction in the budgets of all government ministries to secure funding for the ongoing war against Hamas, Xinhua news agency reported.

"At this moment, what is required is, first of all, to cover the expenses of the war and to allow us to continue the war and complete it," Netanyahu told ministers.

His remarks came as Israel awaited a ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, with a possible decision against its massive offensive in Gaza.

Launched following the Hamas assault on October 7, 2023, Israel's relentless strikes in the densely-populated Palestinian enclave have killed at least 23,843 people, with approximately 75 per cent of them being women, children, and the elderly, according to the Hamas-run government media office.

The strikes have displaced most of Gaza's about 2.3 million population and levelled many parts of the territory.

Since Saturday, thousands of Israelis have rallied in Tel Aviv and other major cities, calling for the return of the hostages and the replacement of the government.

During the October 7 rampage, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, including 790 civilians, and kidnapped over 200 people, 132 of whom are still being held in Gaza.

According to figures released by the Israeli military on Sunday, since the commencement of the war, its troops have killed approximately 9,000 militants in Gaza.

Additionally, 170 militants from the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Palestinian factions were killed in clashes with Israeli forces on the Lebanon front.

The Israeli army, mobilizing about 295,000 reservists, has launched attacks on around 30,000 locations in the 365 square km Palestinian enclave and 750 locations in Lebanon.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday in a speech that his group "doesn't fear war, and there are no talks before the war on Gaza ends."

According to Nasrallah, "Israel is mired in failure and is in a deep hole... It has not reached any of its declared and undeclared goals as unanimously stated by the Israelis themselves."

--IANS

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Tel Aviv, Jan 15 (IANS) Israel's President Isaac Herzog has said that the families of the hostages are not alone and cannot be left alone.

He was addressing the nation from Hostage Plaza here on Sunday.

Herzog said, "Bringing back the hostages transcends any debate or disagreement. A united nation stands with you around the obligation to return all the hostages home."

The families of the hostages called for the continued mobilization of Israel’s citizens and appealed to the Security Cabinet to take action for the immediate release of all the hostages.

"One hundred long days of captivity. One hundred long days of solitude. They are held cruelly in the dark, in tunnels, without medical care, suffering terribly. One hundred days of worry and fear, of uncertainty. One hundred days in which the heart of an entire nation beats together with you, beloved families," the President said addressing the families of hostages at the "100 Days of Hell" rally.

Herzog said, "Dear families, I have an important message for you: You are not alone and you cannot be left alone. Not now and not ever. An entire united nation stands together with you around the obligation to return all the hostages home and restore security for all Israeli citizens, because bringing back the hostages transcends any debate or disagreement. This is a profound moral imperative, an imperative of a people and a state."

"The issue of the hostages must not fall off the public and global agenda, and I pledge to continue working towards this in any way possible and with all means at my disposal. For our sake and theirs," he added.

The President also called upon people to strengthen the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops and security forces who are risking their lives to defeat the enemy and bring the hostages home.

--IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Jan 14 (IANS) One of the crew members of the container ship, 'MV Debi', that has been detained by the Customs officials at Paradip port following the recovery of cocaine valued at around Rs 220 crore in December last year, on Sunday reportedly jumped into the sea.

Sources claimed that the Vietnamese national had slit his hand before jumping off the deck.

He has suffered severe hand injuries while jumping into the sea. The crew member,working as the third engineer of the ship, was rescued and admitted to the Paradip Port Authority Hospital for treatment.

However, the doctors later referred him to SCB medical college and hospital at Cuttack for advanced treatment.

Police official on the condition of anonymity said the crew members are under mental depression and he might have tried to commit suicide.

However, Customs official or local police authorities are yet to issue any official statement in this connection.

Notably, Customs officials seized cocaine weighing 22 kg valued at around Rs 220 crore from the Panama registered container ship during a search on November 30 and December 1, 2023.

The Denmark-bound ship reached Paradip International Cargo Terminal at the Paradip port on November 29.

The ship with around 21 crew members has been detained since.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 25 (IANS) Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt hosted an intimate Christmas celebration at his residence, which was attended by his daughters Alia Shaheen, and Pooja, Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar and others.

The videos shows the ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ actress wearing a green coloured one shoulder dress, with her hair tied in a bun, and a Christmas Santa headband on her head.

Alia completed the look with silver stilettos and a matching small handbag.

Ranbir was wearing a white shirt with black sleeveless jacket, and beige coloured trousers.

The ‘Brahmastra’ actor completed his look with sneakers.

Filmmaker Ayan Mukerji, and Karan Johar were also spotted at the venue.

The video shows KJo giving a warm hug to sisters Alia and Shaheen. Shaheen wore a black satin dress for the celebrations.

KJo took to the Instagram Stories and posted a picture with Pooja Bhatt.

He wrote: “Was so happy to spend an evening with someone I have known 3 decades ... shared diets and crazy stories to how superbly she held herself with such dignity in big boss! Merry Xmas Pooja!!! Big love to you”.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 25 (IANS) Veteran star Sharmila Tagore was seen talking about her actor son Saif Ali Khan and revealed some interesting anecdotes about his college days.

In the upcoming episode of Koffee with Karan, Saif Ali Khan and Sharmila Tagore will be seen as guests. From their iconic roles to family tales, this episode is a tribute to their regal legacy and a peek into their fabulous journey.

As Saif Ali Khan looked a little lost, Karan Johar asked: “Yes Saif, you are looking bewildered?”

“As I often am on this couch,” said Saif.

Curious as ever, Karan asked: “The story I really want to know is about the college.”

Spilling the beans, Sharmila said: “He didn't go to the university, he asked the air hostess out and they went off somewhere.”

‘Koffee with Karan’ Season 8 is airing on Disney+ Hotstar.

--IANS

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