Eyes of the India

  Parliamentarians vote for a new leader after Imran Khan lost no-confidence vote Pakistan elected Shehbaz Sharif to be the country’s 23rd prime minister on Monday, a day after incumbent Imran Khan was ousted by a vote of no confidence brought by opposition parties. Mr Sharif received 174 votes from the house’s 342 MPs after days of political drama that saw Mr Khan, the former cricketer-turned-politician, removed just after midnight on Sunday. In his maiden speech as prime minister, Mr Sharif called for unity to tackle Pakistan’s economic crisis. “If we have to save the sinking boat, what we all need is hard work, and unity, unity and unity. We are beginning a new era of development today,” he said. Ahead of Monday’s vote, members of Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had resigned in protest and demanded a national election. “We boycott this election according to the decision of our party, and we are resigning,” said Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Mr Qureshi had been the PTI candidate to b...

 Philippine economic managers rejected calls to suspend excise taxes on petroleum products, instead pitching for more subsidies to affected sectors and a shorter work week to cut costs. The government is expecting to collect 131.4 billion pesos ($2.5bn) this year from excise taxes on fuel, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said on Wednesday. Yielding to some politicians and transport groups’ call to suspend the levy will cut this year’s revenue by 0.5 per cent of gross domestic product, he said. Protesters holding placards stage a rally in front of a petrol station in Manila City Instead, Economic Planning Secretary Karl Chua pitched for more direct aid to affected sectors including the poorest 50 per cent of households. He also proposed a four-day work week to reduce costs for businesses and workers, a move done in past oil shocks. A three-month wage subsidy has also been proposed by the country's Department of Labour and Employment. Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine has fan...