World
Nawas Sharif launches election campaign in Pakistan amid rigging accusations
- The Pakistan Muslim League, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, officially launched its general election campaign in Punjab province.
- The rally followed a Supreme Court ruling that lifted a lifetime ban on politicians with convictions from running for public office.
- The ruling cleared the way for Sharif to run for parliament and potentially secure a fourth term as prime minister.
The party of former three-time Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif officially launched its general election campaign Monday with a rally in Punjab province, while analysts and his imprisoned rival accused authorities of attempting to rig next month’s vote.
The much-awaited rally that Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League party held in the city of Okara came a week after the Supreme Court scrapped a lifetime ban on politicians with convictions from running for public office.
The Jan. 8 ruling removed the last possible hurdle to Sharif running for parliament and potentially securing a fourth term as prime minister. Sharif stepped down as prime minister in 2017 over corruption charges.
PAKISTAN’S SUPREME COURT LIFTS LIFETIME BAN ON CONVICTED POLITICIANS, CLEARING PATH FOR NAWAZ SHARIF
However, his 2028 conviction and sentences in graft cases were overturned on appeal after his return from self-exile, which election officials had said made him eligible to seek a parliament seat in the country’s Feb. 8 election. Lawmakers will elect the next prime minister after the vote.
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves to his supporters upon his arrival to address a welcoming rally in Lahore, Pakistan, on Oct. 21, 2023. Sharif has officially launched his election campaign. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
Analysts say the Pakistan Muslim League is likely to win many parliament seats and may end up in a position to form a new government after the election. Election officials have rejected the candidacies of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and most members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party.
Khan’ was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022, but he remains a leading political figure despite his conviction in a graft case. Elections officials barred Khan from the ballot because of the conviction.
Sharif’s daughter, who is the chief organizer of his party, traveled to Okara from the eastern city of Lahore to launch the election campaign. In her televised remarks, Maryam Nawaz asked people to vote for PML candidates and restore the party to power.
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The rally was held two days after another Supreme Court ruling upheld the Dec. 22 decision by the Election Commission of Pakistan to deprive Khan’s party of its previously used election symbol of a cricket bat. Khan is a former professional cricket player.
The election commission argued that PTI did not fairly hold its internal election last month for a party leader to replace Khan given his conviction. The party elected Gohar Khan.
Khan’s party has said it does not plan to boycott the election despite its allegations of a coordinated effort to prevent it from fielding candidates and potentially governing Pakistan.
Many other politicians, including former Foreign Affairs Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who heads the Pakistan People’s Party, have also stepped up their campaigning for the parliamentary election.
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Video captured a large emergency response after a small plane crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper on Friday, prompting an immediate information blackout from Chinese authorities, The Associated Press reported.
Video and photos shared on social media appear to show the aircraft plummeting to the ground after smashing a large hole in the 108-story CITIC Tower, located in the Chinese capital’s business district.
Police, fire and EMS workers were spotted at the scene preventing witnesses from taking photos and attempting to clear the area.
People gather near the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026, after an eyewitness reported plane debris at the base of Beijing’s tallest building. Video footage taken from a nearby building by the witness showed fire trucks blasting water at smoke billowing from the 528-metre (1,732-foot) CITIC Tower, while the wreck of a plane lay on the ground beside the building. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images)
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A person working inside the high-rise said the plane crash triggered the building’s fire alarms.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated the aircraft was a Sunward SA 60L Aurora, which took off about 30 miles east of the city and crashed shortly before 6 p.m. local time.
ADS-B data for the flight only includes a partial flight path and stops prior to the crash, according to air traffic data.
A hole is seen (R) on the side of the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026, after a reported plane crash. (Peter Catterall/AFP via Getty Images)
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The AP reported that photos and videos of the incident escaped the country’s “great firewall” and were circulated on social media platform X, though Chinese censors have removed content about the crash from the country’s restricted internet.
No information has been released by government officials or state-run media, as of Friday afternoon.
Police personnel block the road near the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images)
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The cause of the crash, identity of the pilot, and the number of casualties remain unclear.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The military government, in power since a coup in 2022, accused France of having ‘neo-colonial ambitions’.
Published On 26 Jun 2026
Burkina Faso has broken off diplomatic relations with France, further widening the rift with its former colonial ruler.
“The government of Burkina Faso hereby informs the national and international community that it has decided to sever diplomatic relations with France with effect from today, June 26, 2026,” said Friday’s statement read out on national television.
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The military government led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since a coup in September 2022, is pursuing a policy against critical voices and Western countries, especially France.
In the TV announcement, the government accused France of persistently acting against its interests.
“The essential conditions for promoting relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal trust, respect for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are not in place,” said Communications Minister, Gilbert Ouedraogo.
He said the decision followed a review of relations with Paris. He accused France of having “neo-colonial ambitions, made evident by its active support for subversive networks and the terrorists who are plunging our country and the Sahel into mourning”.
In January, political parties in Burkina Faso were formally dissolved by the military government, which has also seized all their assets in a move analysts say is a major blow for democracy in the West African nation.
Landlocked Burkina Faso is grappling with several armed groups which have seized control of land in the country’s north, south and west. These include the al-Qaeda-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), which also operate in neighbouring Mali and Niger.
Burkina Faso’s military has been accused of committing atrocities, including the ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch found last April.
According to the government statement released on Friday, the decision to cut ties with France “exclusively concerns diplomatic relations between the two states” and “does not call into question the historical, human, cultural and social ties between the people of Burkina Faso and France”.
It added that French nationals in Burkina Faso will continue to be protected in accordance with the law.
Once a significant power in northern, central and western Africa, France has seen its influence shrink in recent years, especially as many of its former African colonies, particularly in the Sahel, have distanced themselves and become more closely aligned with Russia and China.
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