7 women injured in mortar shell explosion in Pak

Peshawar: Seven women were critically injured in a mortar shell explosion in Pakistan’s restive northwest region, police said on Saturday. The incident took place in Habib Kot Adana, located in South Waziristan, within the jurisdiction of the Laddha police station on Friday. The incident took place when the women were collecting timber at a nearby mountain for domestic use during harsh cold weather, said Muhammad Shuaib, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Makeen police station. A mortar shell, fired from an undisclosed location, detonated with a powerful blast, critically injuring the seven women, he said. The injured victims were shifted to Razmak hospital in Wana, the SHO said, adding that the police are investigating the matter.

Lanka’s economy SHOWS positive growth since crisis

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s bankrupt economy has recorded a positive growth for the first time since the economic crisis hit the island nation, according to official data. “The year-on-year GDP growth rate for the third quarter has been reported as 1.6 per cent of positive growth rate,” the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) said in a press release on Friday. Sri Lanka had recorded a minus 8 per cent growth when it declared bankruptcy in April 2022. The country’s economy continued to be in the negative from the fourth quarter of 2021. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which released the second tranche of its USD 2.9 billion bailout earlier this week, has said that Sri Lanka’s overall growth for 2023 would remain negative. However, the country's economy in 2024 is expected to grow with a positive one plus growth, it said. Sri Lanka is currently going through a strict IMF based reform regime. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is also the finance minister, insists on reforms despite strong criticism from the opposition. The reforms, coupled with a high cost of living, are expected to play a significant role in the island’s election year in 2024.