International news brief: Pak PM's son takes oath as Punjab CM; US identifies first cases of monkeypox in kids

Lahore, July 23: Hamza Shehbaz, the son of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Saturday took oath as the chief minister of Punjab province, a day after he was re-elected to the post by just three votes amidst high drama when the deputy speaker rejected 10 crucial votes of his rival candidate Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman administered the oath to Hamza, 47.

The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Governor House in Punjab. The run-off election for the post of Punjab chief minister was held in the Punjab Assembly on Friday, in line with the instructions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

White House announces USD 270M military package for Ukraine
The White House has announced that the US is sending an additional USD 270 million in security assistance to Ukraine, a package that will include additional medium range rocket systems and tactical drones. The latest tranche brings the total US security assistance committed to Ukraine to USD 8.2 billion since the war began in late February, and is being paid for through USD 40 billion in economic and security aid for Ukraine approved by Congress in May.

Thai PM sails through last no-confidence vote ahead of polls
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha sailed through his fourth and final no-confidence vote in Parliament on Saturday with no surprises, ahead of a general election next year. The vote came after four days of debate targeting Prayuth and 10 of his Cabinet members for economic mismanagement and their failure to prevent corruption. All 10 ministers also survived the vote, thanks to the ruling coalition government's majority in Parliament. Prayuth won 256 confidence votes, with 206 against and nine abstaining.

US: Plane crashes near lifeguard competition; pilot rescued
A small plane towing a banner crashed in the ocean Friday during a lifeguard competition that turned into a real-life rescue along Southern California's popular Huntington Beach. Corinne Baginski was at the beach for her 17-year-old daughter's races in the junior lifeguarding division around 1:30 pm when she heard the sound of the aircraft slamming into the water. She instinctively turned to the tent where the teens were waiting for the next event to begin as part of the 2022 California Surf Lifesaving Association Junior Lifeguard Championship.

Liz Truss promises to scrap all EU laws by next year
Amid the ongoing contest for the Tory leadership, top contender Liz Truss has promised to review all EU laws retained in the British statute book by the end of next year, and to scrap measures deemed to be holding back the City of London. UK foreign secretary Truss, in a statement, vowed a "red tape bonfire" if she became prime minister, including reform of the Mifid II trading rules. She also promised to unleash the "full potential" of Britain post-Brexit

US identifies first cases of monkeypox in children
US has reported the first cases of monkeypox as two cases of the rare viral disease have been identified in children, media reports said citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. According to CDC, the cases are not related and could be cases of local transmission. One case is a toddler who is a resident of California while the other is an infant who is not a US resident.

Afghans launch 'Ban Taliban' campaign on Twitter
After Meta's crackdown on Taliban-affiliated content and pages, Afghans have launched a trend on the social media platform Twitter with a hashtag calling for a ban on Taliban. The hashtag "BanTaliban" became a global sensation, with over thousands of tweets so far in support. Rapidly on the rise, the trend has gained significant coverage in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Europe and India, as well as the United States of America.

With inputs from agency