World
Imprisoned former Pakistani PM Imran Khan addresses IMF in election audit push
Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan is writing a letter to the International Monetary Fund urging it to link any talks with Islamabad to an audit of the country’s recent election, which his party alleges was rigged, his party said Friday.
Senator Ali Zafar, a top leader from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party or PTI made his televised remarks after meeting with Khan at the Adiala prison, where he is serving multiple prison sentences.
The latest development comes days before the IMF is to release a key installment of a bailout loan to Pakistan.
PAKISTAN’S EX-PREMIER KHAN’S RIVALS NAME SHEHBAZ SHARIF AS CANDIDATE FOR PRIME MINISTER
It also comes a day after IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said the global lender was ready to work with Pakistan’s new government “on policies to ensure macroeconomic stability and prosperity for all of Pakistan’s citizens”.
The IMF has not commented about Khan’s much-publicized move to write them a letter.
Khan has come under severe criticism at home from his rivals who claim Khan tried to block a tranche of $1 billion from the IMF to Pakistan to harm the country’s economy.
Pakistan’s former prime minister, Imran Khan, center, addresses his supporters during an anti-government march towards capital Islamabad, demanding early elections, in Gujranwala on November 1, 2022. (ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)
Pakistan narrowly averted a default on foreign payments last summer when the IMF approved the much-awaited $3 billion bailout for it following monthslong talks with former premier Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan after his ouster in a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022.
Sharif is currently in talks with his allies to form a coalition government as no party, including the candidates of Khan, could get a majority in the Feb. 8 vote.
Though Khan’s candidates won 93 out of 265 National Assembly seats in the elections, it was not enough to form a government. Khan’s party says it has evidence that officials changed the election results in dozens of constituencies to convert the victories of its candidates into defeat, a charge the election oversight denies.
“The PTI candidates who were winning (in the elections) were defeated” because of rigging the vote, Zafar said, adding that Khan wants the IMF to call for an independent audit of the elections before it continues talks on the release of loans for Pakistan.
The IMF and Khan’s former government have been at odds since the former premier did not fully comply with a 2019 agreement under which he got a $6 billion bailout. The release of a key tranche from that bailout remained on hold, causing a sudden increase in inflation and a devaluation of Pakistan’s currency against the U.S. dollar.
Sharif, who is set to become the country’s new prime minister, has said he will negotiate another bailout with the IMF in an effort to combat inflation and improve the country’s ailing economy, which is the biggest challenge he faces.
World
3 US service members killed, 5 seriously wounded in Iran operation
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Three U.S. service members were killed and five others were seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday morning.
In addition, several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of being returned to duty, CENTCOM announced.
“The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen warriors, until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified,” CENTCOM said.
Smoke rises over the city center after an Israeli army launches 2nd wave of airstrikes on Iran on Saturday. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
World
At least nine killed after Iranian strike on Israel’s Beit Shemesh
BREAKINGBREAKING,
The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service says that 20 others were injured by the impact.
Published On 1 Mar 2026
At least nine people have been killed after an Iranian missile strike on the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, as Tehran continued to launch retaliatory attacks a day after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes.
The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said on Sunday that nine people were killed and 20 other people were injured by the impact, including two in serious condition.
The Israeli military said in a statement that search and rescue teams, and a helicopter to evacuate those injured are currently operating in Beit Shemesh, with the army’s spokesperson adding that the circumstances of the impact from the Iranian ballistic missile are under review.
More to come …
World
Sombr Altercation at Brit Awards Was Staged, Rep Confirms
Sombr was mid-performance at the Brit Awards when a random man bumrushed the stage and pushed the singer off the platform, leaving him stunned — only it was all planned, says his rep.
The singer-songwriter, who was nominated for international artist and international song, was at the end of his smash single “Undressed” when a man joined him on the podium and shoved him hard. Security guards aggressively removed the man from the stage, and Sombr returned to the microphone to segue into his next song.
Shortly after the performance came to a close, Sombr’s rep confirmed to Variety that the whole thing was part of the act. Fans were already split online over whether the incident was staged or real. Naysayers noticed that the offender was wearing a shirt that read “Sombr is a homewrecker” — a nod to his latest single “Homewrecker,” which some claimed was a dead giveaway. But others weren’t necessarily convinced it was a stunt, considering how hard he was pushed and how additional security guards came to his rescue.
Brits host Jack Whitehall remarked on the incident after Sombr’s performance concluded. “Such a shame we didn’t have the security ready,” he said.
The incident took place just days after Britain’s BAFTA Awards last Sunday, when John Davidson, the Scottish Tourette’s syndrome activist and real-life inspiration for the film “I Swear,” disrupted that ceremony with an outburst of racial slurs that occurred as “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage. “I can’t begin to explain how upset and distraught I have been as the impact from Sunday sinks in,” Davidson told Variety earlier this week.
Whitehall made a joking reference to that incident — which was not bleeped from the initial BAFTA broadcast and was audible to viewers — at the top of the Brits, saying “We’ve got the best in the business on the bleep button.”
Sombr is coming off a red-hot year that saw his various singles “Undressed,” “Back to Friends” and “12 to 12” impact the charts. He recently performed at the Grammy Awards, where he was nominated for best new artist alongside Addison Rae, Alex Warren, the Marías, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Katseye and Olivia Dean, who ended up taking home the award.
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