COVID-19 positivity ratio reaches five-month high

Pakistan has recorded the highest COVID-19 positivity ratio of 5.46% during a single day after a gap of five months, the National Institute of Health (NIH) data showed Tuesday morning.

The last time the country recorded such a high positivity ratio — 5.55% — was on February 17. The number of deaths stood at 40 at the time.

According to the NIH data, during the last 24 hours, 4,674 diagnostic tests were conducted across the country out of which 255 came back positive.

The condition of 141 COVID-19 patients, according to the NIH, is critical and they are being treated in intensive care units (ICU) at different medical facilities.

Per the NIH data, only one COVID-related death was reported in the country during the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 30,424.

Experts blame two sub-variants of the Omicron variant, namely BA.4 and BA.5, for the rise in COVID-19 cases in Pakistan, saying that they have escape mutations that are giving them an edge.

They say the sub-variants have also been infecting people who are already vaccinated or have already been infected with COVD-19, but no evidence is available to show if they are causing any severe disease among the vaccinated people.

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Sri Lanka’s fleeing President takes refuge at military base

Sri Lanka’s embattled president was stuck in his own country Tuesday in a humiliating standoff with airport immigration staff blocking his exit to safety abroad, official sources said Tuesday.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has promised to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a "peaceful transition of power" following widespread protests against him over the country’s unprecedented economic crisis.

The 73-year-old leader fled his official residence in Colombo just before tens of thousands of protesters overran it on Saturday and wanted to travel to Dubai, officials said.

As president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, and he is believed to want to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained.

But immigration officers were refusing to go to the VIP suite to stamp his passport, while he insisted he would not go through the public facilities fearing reprisals from other airport users.

The president and his wife spent the night at a military base next to the main international airport after missing four flights that could have taken them to the United Arab Emirates.

Rajapaksa’s youngest brother Basil, who resigned in April as finance minister, missed his own Emirates flight to Dubai early Tuesday after a similar standoff with the airport staff.

Basil tried to use the paid concierge service for business travellers, but the airport and immigration staff said they were withdrawing from the fast track service with immediate effect.

"There were some other passengers who protested against Basil boarding their flight," an airport official told AFP. "It was a tense situation, so he hurriedly left the airport."

Basil, a US dual citizen, had to obtain a new passport after leaving his behind at the presidential palace when the Rajapaksas beat a hasty retreat to avoid mobs on Saturday, a diplomatic source said.

Official sources said a suitcase full of documents had also been left behind at the stately mansion along with 17.85 million rupees in cash, now in the custody of a Colombo court.

There was no official word from the president’s office about his whereabouts, but he remained commander-in-chief of the armed forces with military resources at his disposal.

One option still open to him would be to take a navy vessel to either India or the Maldives, a defence source said.

If Rajapaksa steps down as promised, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will automatically become acting president until parliament elects an MP to serve out the presidential term, which ends in November 2024.

Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the economy to a point where the country has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for the 22 million population.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51-billion foreign debt in April and is in talks with the IMF for a possible bailout.

The island has nearly exhausted its already scarce supplies of petrol. The government has ordered the closure of non-essential offices and schools to reduce commuting and save fuel.

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Karachi faces electricity suspension after heavy rains

Intermittent heavy rains in different parts of Karachi since Monday evening have inundated many areas of the city, bringing life to a complete halt.

To top it all off, the electricity supply in most areas of the city has been suspended for several hours, making it difficult for people to carry on their day-to-day activities.

Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SMCHS) Block B has been without power for the last 24 hours, while residents of DHA's Khayaban e Badban say the supply of electricity has been suspended for the last 36 hours.

According to Geo News, rainwater accumulated on the main roads and streets of the Defense Housing Authority (DHA), Clifton, Malir, Airport Road, I.I Chundrigar Road, Saddar, Old City Area, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Federal B Area, North Nazimabad, Korangi, and PECHS.

In addition to residential areas, several main roads of the city, including the NIPA Chowrangi Flyover, Qayyummabad Chowrangi, Arts Council Chowrangi, Supreme Court Registry, Zainab Market, Bolton Market, and MA Jinnah Road have been flooded with rain and sewerage water, affecting the flow of traffic.

Meanwhile, several vehicles and motorcycles broke down on the streets because of the accumulated water.

Owing to the incessant rains throughout Monday, several phases of DHA became flooded with water.  These include Tauheed Commercial Area, Ittehad Commercial Area, Khayaban e Shamsheer, Muslim Commercial, Sea View, Badr Commercial, Saba Avenue, Khayaban e Bahria, 26th Street, Khayaban e Mujahid and Khayaban e Tanzeem were also submerged.

According to the report, rainwater entered many houses, damaging furniture and other household items.

Meanwhile, stagnant water outside the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) — the largest cardiology hospital in the city — made it difficult for ambulances to travel back and forth.

The Clifton submarine underpass and the KPT underpass had to be closed due to flooding, while rainwater also entered houses in certain areas of Liaquatabad and Bihar Colony of Lyari.

According to meteorologist Jawad Memon, a new rain system is moving toward the city, which is likely to bring more heavy rains to Karachi within the next few hours.

Meteorological analysts say that rain clouds from the Arabian Sea are moving toward the city continuously, therefore, there is a possibility of intermittent rain till tomorrow evening.

Meanwhile, three people lost their lives due to electrocution when lightning struck the Garden Shoe Market and Korangi's Bilal Colony during the rain.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department released Monday's rainfall data of Karachi from 6am to 11am, according to which the heaviest rainfall, measuring 126.6mm, was recorded in DHA Phase II.

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COVID-19 positivity ratio reaches five-month high

Pakistan has recorded the highest COVID-19 positivity ratio of 5.46% during a single day after a gap of five months, the National Institute of Health (NIH) data showed Tuesday morning.

The last time the country recorded such a high positivity ratio — 5.55% — was on February 17. The number of deaths stood at 40 at the time.

According to the NIH data, during the last 24 hours, 4,674 diagnostic tests were conducted across the country out of which 255 came back positive.

The condition of 141 COVID-19 patients, according to the NIH, is critical and they are being treated in intensive care units (ICU) at different medical facilities.

Per the NIH data, only one COVID-related death was reported in the country during the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 30,424.

Experts blame two sub-variants of the Omicron variant, namely BA.4 and BA.5, for the rise in COVID-19 cases in Pakistan, saying that they have escape mutations that are giving them an edge.

They say the sub-variants have also been infecting people who are already vaccinated or have already been infected with COVD-19, but no evidence is available to show if they are causing any severe disease among the vaccinated people.

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Karachi faces electricity suspension after heavy rains

Intermittent heavy rains in different parts of Karachi since Monday evening have inundated many areas of the city, bringing life to a complete halt.

To top it all off, the electricity supply in most areas of the city has been suspended for several hours, making it difficult for people to carry on their day-to-day activities.

Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SMCHS) Block B has been without power for the last 24 hours, while residents of DHA's Khayaban e Badban say the supply of electricity has been suspended for the last 36 hours.

According to Geo News, rainwater accumulated on the main roads and streets of the Defense Housing Authority (DHA), Clifton, Malir, Airport Road, I.I Chundrigar Road, Saddar, Old City Area, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Federal B Area, North Nazimabad, Korangi, and PECHS.

In addition to residential areas, several main roads of the city, including the NIPA Chowrangi Flyover, Qayyummabad Chowrangi, Arts Council Chowrangi, Supreme Court Registry, Zainab Market, Bolton Market, and MA Jinnah Road have been flooded with rain and sewerage water, affecting the flow of traffic.

Meanwhile, several vehicles and motorcycles broke down on the streets because of the accumulated water.

Owing to the incessant rains throughout Monday, several phases of DHA became flooded with water.  These include Tauheed Commercial Area, Ittehad Commercial Area, Khayaban e Shamsheer, Muslim Commercial, Sea View, Badr Commercial, Saba Avenue, Khayaban e Bahria, 26th Street, Khayaban e Mujahid and Khayaban e Tanzeem were also submerged.

According to the report, rainwater entered many houses, damaging furniture and other household items.

Meanwhile, stagnant water outside the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) — the largest cardiology hospital in the city — made it difficult for ambulances to travel back and forth.

The Clifton submarine underpass and the KPT underpass had to be closed due to flooding, while rainwater also entered houses in certain areas of Liaquatabad and Bihar Colony of Lyari.

According to meteorologist Jawad Memon, a new rain system is moving toward the city, which is likely to bring more heavy rains to Karachi within the next few hours.

Meteorological analysts say that rain clouds from the Arabian Sea are moving toward the city continuously, therefore, there is a possibility of intermittent rain till tomorrow evening.

Meanwhile, three people lost their lives due to electrocution when lightning struck the Garden Shoe Market and Korangi's Bilal Colony during the rain.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department released Monday's rainfall data of Karachi from 6am to 11am, according to which the heaviest rainfall, measuring 126.6mm, was recorded in DHA Phase II.

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Sri Lanka prime minister's office confirms president to resign after protests

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has informed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he will resign, the prime minister's office said on Monday, after tens of thousands of protesters stormed the official residences of both men.

After Saturday's sweeping protests in the wake of a debilitating economic crisis, the speaker of parliament said Rajapaksa would resign on Wednesday. However, there has been no direct word from Rajapaksa on his plans.

Wickremesinghe has said he would also step down to allow an all-party interim government to take over.

Leaders of the protest movement have said crowds would keep occupying the residences of the president and prime minister in Colombo until they finally quit office.

Colombo, Sri Lanka's largest city, was calm on Monday as hundreds of people strolled into the president's secretariat and residence and toured the colonial-era buildings. Police made no attempt to stop anyone.

"We are not going anywhere till this president leaves and we have a government that is acceptable to the people," said Jude Hansana, 31, who has been at a protest site outside the residence since early April.

"The people's struggle is for wider political reforms. Not just for the president to leave. This is just the start."

Another protester, Dushantha Gunasinghe, said he had travelled to Colombo from a town 130 km (80 miles) away, walking part of the way because of the fuel crunch. He said he finally reached on Monday morning.

"I'm so exhausted I can barely speak," said the 28-year-old as he sat on a plastic chair outside the president's office. "I came alone all this way because I believe we need to see this through. This government needs to go home and we need better leaders."

Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe were not in their residences when the protesters surged into the buildings and have not been seen in public since Friday. Their whereabouts are unknown.

Wickremesinghe's private home in an affluent Colombo suburb was set on fire, and three suspects have been arrested, police have said.

Constitutional experts say once the president and prime minister formally resign, the next step would be for the speaker to be appointed as acting president and for parliament to vote for a new president within 30 days to complete Rajapaksa's term that was to end in 2024.

Ordinary Sri Lankans have mainly blamed Rajapaksa for the collapse of the tourism-dependent economy, which was hammered badly by the COVID-19 pandemic and a ban on chemical fertilisers that was later reversed.

Government finances were crippled by mounting debt and lavish tax breaks given by the Rajapaksa regime. Foreign exchange reserves were quickly depleted as oil prices rose.

The country barely has any dollars left to import fuel, which has been severely rationed, and long lines have formed in front of shops selling cooking gas. Headline inflation in the country of 22 million hit 54.6% last month, and the central bank has warned that it could rise to 70% in the coming months.

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Djokovic tames fiery Kyrgios to continue Wimbledon love story

Novak Djokovic stayed serene amid a frenzied atmosphere to tame fiery Australian Nick Kyrgios in an engrossing final on Sunday, lifting a seventh Wimbledon trophy and taking his Grand Slam title count to 21.

Rallying from a set down, Djokovic exhibited ice-cool nerves in sweltering conditions to win 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6(3) for his fourth consecutive trophy at the grasscourt major to close in on Rafa Nadal's record 22 major crowns.

Competing in a men's record 32nd major final on a sun-bathed Centre Court, the 35-year-old was facing an unseeded opponent who had never been beyond the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam before this fortnight.

In their only two previous meetings, both in 2017, Djokovic did not win a set, did not once break the Kyrgios serve and had only a single break point opportunity.

Five years later, it was another sublime serving performance from the Australian in the early stages and he did not allow Djokovic any look at his delivery in the opening set, getting 77 per cent of his first serves in and firing down seven aces.

A couple of well-disguised drop shots from Kyrgios helped him set up two breakpoints in the fifth game and a double fault from Djokovic brought up the first break of serve, which was enough for the unseeded Kyrgios to take the lead.

Focused from the start, Kyrgios, however, did not forget to entertain the crowd when he could. There was an underarm serve and he hit a return on the half volley between his legs to delight the Centre Court crowd.

No one, however, expected it to be an easy straight-sets match with Djokovic having not lost a match on the manicured lawns at the All England Club since he retired injured during his 2017 quarter-final against Czech Tomas Berdych.

Djokovic's delivery went up a gear and the Serb slowly but surely started demonstrating why he is considered the best returner in the sport.

He would have been hoping to read the Kyrgios serve better and for his opponent's level to drop and once it did in the fourth game of the second set, Djokovic was ready to pounce.

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