No-Confidence Motion Moved in Pakistan Parliament in Bid to Remove PM Khan

^{PHOTO: PARLIAMENT BUILDING EXTERIORS NO CONFIDENCE MOTION BEING MOVED IN PAKISTAN PARLIAMENT TO REMOVE PM IMRAN KHAN DEPUTY SPEAKER ANNOUNCING THAT KHAN HAS CEASED TO HOLD OFFICE OPPOSITION LEADER BILAWA BHUTTO CONGRATULATING}

INTERNATIONAL: Pakistan's parliament took up a no-confidence motion moved by opposition lawmakers on Monday, 28 March, in a bid to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan, pushing the South Asian nation closer to political turmoil.

The house will begin a debate on the motion on Thursday (31 March), and a vote is to be held within seven days.

Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif read from the no-confidence motion telecast live on television, saying, "Under sub Rule 4 of Rule 37 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 2007, I hereby seek leave of this August House to move the following resolution for a Vote of No Confidence against the Prime Minister."

Deputy Speaker Of Parliament, QASIM SURI, said:

"161 Members are standing in favor of the Motion. Therefore, permission is being granted for the Vote of No Confidence against the Prime Minister."

Also "Under Rule 37 sub Rule 5, debate on the motion will begin on Thursday, March 31, 2022."

The move comes as Pakistan faces a recurring economic crisis, with Khan's government banking on the International Monetary Fund to release the next tranche of a $6 billion rescue package to shore up dwindling foreign currency reserves.

Khan, 69, a former captain of Pakistan's national cricket team, lost a parliamentary majority with a series of defections from his party, and a united opposition is calling on him to step down. He has vowed to fight to stay put.

Sixty Tons of Red Cross Aid Arrives in Kharkiv

Sixty tons of aid was delivered to the city of Kharkiv by the International Committee of the Red Cross, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Red Cross has said it brought aid to the eastern city on 26 March, which included food, water, and essential hygiene items. The aid was to be distributed by the Ukrainian Red Cross to civilians including those taking shelter in the city’s metro.

Maxime Zabaloueff from the International Committee of the Red Cross says, “Today we are in Kharkiv with the ICRC team where we distributed 60 tons of food and non-food items for the people who have suffered from the terrible consequences of the shelling on the city. This humanitarian assistance will be distributed by the Ukrainian Red Cross Society. This has been put in their warehouse for further allocation to the people in need who took, for instance, took shelter in the metro station of Kharkiv. We hope to continue this distribution assistance through them for the benefit of the civilians who are in need of assistance from all possible natures and the ICRC is there to support them.”

Alaska Avalanche Shows Buried Mountainside

^{PHOTO: DRONE FOOTAGE OVER MOUNTAINOUS AREA AFFECTED BY AVALANCHE}

And… drone footage of an avalanche in Alaska, filmed on Sunday, 27 March, shows its size and scope, as authorities continued making risk assessments amid evacuation orders.

Residents of the suburb Anchorage were ordered on Sunday to evacuate the mountainous area days after the avalanche buried a mountain road. However, an update issued later in the day by authorities reported that mitigation efforts were successful and that teams were assessing the risk involved in allowing evacuated residents to return home.

The avalanche roared down a mountainside shortly before midnight local time on Thursday, 24 March, covering the main road with a snow layer up to 80 feet deep. But local officials have said that only about half of the snow in the unstable slide zone was released then, and the chances of a secondary avalanche occurring is certain.

Officials say there have been no injuries reported so far and authorities continue to assess the extent of the damage to houses.