• Pakistan reports 26 polio cases this year.
• Most cases reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
• Polio virus detected in sewage samples of 127 districts.

Pakistan will launch new nationwide anti-polio campaign on September 1 in three provinces, while in Punjab, the campaign will start on September 10.

Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Syed Mustafa Kamal, accompanied by MQM-Pakistan leader Anis Qaimkhani, held a press conference at his camp office in Karachi on Friday regarding the upcoming nationwide polio Campaign and flood situation in Pakistan.

Addressing the presser, he said that the polio virus has been detected in sewage samples of 127 districts across the country, including all districts of Karachi.

He stated that out of the 26 reported cases this year, 16 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with 13 cases emerging from southern KP where security challenges had hindered vaccination efforts.

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has postponed the polio vaccination campaign in nine districts of Punjab due to the ongoing flood situation.

The campaign has been postponed in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Multan, Muzaffargarh, and Bahawalpur. Meanwhile, the polio drive will continue as scheduled in Rawalpindi, Mianwali, Faisalabad, and Dera Ghazi Khan.

In Attock, Rajanpur, and Rahim Yar Khan, the vaccination campaign will proceed as planned.

Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Kamal said: “The only solution to protect children from polio is repeated administration of polio drops. All religious scholars and madrasas have declared the vaccine safe, and we must depoliticise the fight against polio. Afghanistan and Pakistan are conducting synchronised polio drives, and with joint efforts, we will soon rid the country of this crippling disease.”

The health minister further stressed that parents in Karachi show the highest resistance to polio vaccination. He noted that door-to-door campaigns are underway across Pakistan.

Turning to the flood situation in the country, Kamal said the government has responded to all demands for medicines and medical equipment from flood-affected areas. He stated that federal and provincial governments are in constant coordination, while a Command and Control Room has been established at the National Institute of Health (NIH) to monitor the situation. He added that NDMA teams are in close contact with the Ministry of Health.

Kamal emphasised that natural disasters cannot be tackled by provincial or federal governments alone, and called for strengthening of the local government system, which he termed the most effective mechanism for disaster management.

“Our country is functioning under provincial and federal structures, but disasters of such magnitude cannot be managed without empowered local bodies. We need administrative reforms and creation of new units on administrative grounds, not to divide the country but to strengthen governance and ensure delivery at the grassroots level.”

The minister added that while the provinces received Rs 8,700 billion collectively, there is no mechanism to ensure that resources trickle down to the lowest tier. He called for transparent planning and effective utilisation of funds.

K-Pop Demon Hunters has officially dominated the UK Officials Singles Chart Top 40 once again!

The animated Netflix series’ fictional girl group, HUNTR/X’s Golden is on the top spot, marking its fourth non-consecutive week at the summit.

Additionally, two more of its songs are on the top 10 this week, which includes songs by the fictional demon boy band, Saja Boys, namely, Soda Pop on number 4 and Your Idol on number 6.

As we move past the Top 10 and into the Top 40, TWICE’s K-Pop Demon Hunters song, Takedown saw a new surge of popularity and landed on 27 whereas Strategy is on the 39th spot.

Now the chart expands from the Netflix series but remains under the umbrella of K-pop still, as after their Wembley Stadium show, BLACKPINK’s Diplo-produced, JUMP is at Number 29.

Additionally, popular South Korean boy band, Stray Kids earned their second Top 40 song this week, with the track CEREMONY, making its debut on the charts on number 37.

Meanwhile, Olivia Dean just made history, by becoming the first British female since Adele in 2021 to sink three tracks in the Top 10 simultaneously.

Man I Need is Olivia Dean’s highest-charting single and is currently on number two, her track Nice To Each Other is on number seven and her Sam Fender collaboration, Rein Me In is on the tenth spot. 

UNITED NATIONS: Britain, France and Germany are pressing Iran to take a deal that would hold off fresh UN sanctions. 

The three European powers said that the offer gives Tehran more time for talks on its nuclear programme, but only if it allows inspectors back in and eases Western fears about uranium stockpiles.

UN envoys for the three countries – known as the E3 – issued a joint statement before a closed-door Security Council meeting, a day after they launched a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme.

The E3 offered to delay reinstating sanctions – known as snapback – for up to six months if Iran restored access for UN nuclear inspectors, addressed concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engaged in talks with the United States.

“Our asks were fair and realistic,” said Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward, who read the statement. “However, as of today, Iran has shown no indication that it is serious about meeting them.”

“We urge Iran to reconsider this position, to reach an agreement based on our offer, and to help create the space for a diplomatic solution to this issue for the long term,” she said, with her German and French counterparts standing next to her.

In response, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the E3 offer was “full of unrealistic preconditions”.

“They are demanding conditions that should be the outcome of negotiations, not the starting point, and they know these demands cannot be met,” he told reporters.

Iravani said the E3 should instead back “a short, unconditional technical extension of Resolution 2231”, which enshrines a 2015 nuclear deal that lifted UN and Western sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Sino-Russian draft

Russia and China have proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution that would extend the 2015 deal for six months and urge all parties to immediately resume negotiations. But they have not yet asked for a vote.

The pair, strategic allies of Iran, have removed controversial language from the draft – which they initially proposed on Sunday – that would have blocked the E3 from reimposing UN sanctions on Iran.

Iravani described the Russian and Chinese draft resolution as a practical step to give diplomacy more time. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the US, France, Britain, China or Russia.

UN nuclear inspectors have returned to Iran for the first time since it suspended cooperation with them after attacks in June on its nuclear sites by Israel and the United States. But Iran has not yet reached an agreement on how it would resume full work with the International Atomic Energy Agency.