Musharraf reaching out to Bhutto

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is reaching out to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto despite the fact that he blames the exiled politician for the country's economic and political woes, a media report said on Monday.
Musharraf is in desperate need for moderate allies to help him shore up his pro-western government in the face of rising extremist attacks, the Newsweek magazine said quoting western diplomats.
Ironically, they might make a perfect match, they said adding personal issues aside, both politicians share a liberal, secular outlook.
"Musharraf would likely hold onto the presidency, adding some democratic credentials, and Bhutto would be allowed to return home and perhaps even play a hand in selecting the new Prime Minister," it said.
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Shanghai breaks 'zero COVID' streak, finds fresh cases outside quarantined areas
Shanghai announced its first new COVID-19 cases outside quarantined areas in five days on Friday and imposed stricter curbs in two districts, but did not signal any change to the planned end of a prolonged city-wide lockdown on June 1. Another district, Hongkou, on Friday afternoon ordered all shops to shut and residents to stay home until at least Sunday as it plans to carry out mass testing.
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BRICS-led New Development bank to set up regional office in India
The New Development Bank, the Shanghai-based multilateral bank of the Brics countries, will open its first regional office in India at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) to cater to infrastructure and sustainable development needs of the country, the bank said in a statement on Friday. IRO will focus on expanding its footprint in the country with planning and implementing new projects as well as monitoring them.
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Evening brief: France, Belgium, Germany join list of nations with monkeypox
Here are today's top news, analysis, and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. France, Belgium, Germany join growing list of nations with monkeypox cases France, Germany and Belgium confirmed their first cases of the monkeypox virus on Friday, joining European nations Spain, Italy, Portugal and Sweden, and Canada, Australia and the United States in reporting a disease endemic to parts of Africa.
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Chicago shooting: 2 dead, 8 injured after firing at restaurant, say police
Two people are dead and another eight wounded following a shooting near a fast food restaurant in Chicago that sent bystanders scattering, authorities said. The shooting happened about 10:40 p.m. Thursday near a McDonald's on the city's Near North Side, a few blocks from the city's Magnificent Mile shopping district. One person was taken into custody and a weapon was recovered, police said in statement.
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France, Belgium, Germany join growing list of nations with monkeypox cases
France, Germany and Belgium confirmed their first cases of the monkeypox virus on Friday, joining European nations Spain, Italy, Portugal and Sweden, and Canada, Australia and the United States in reporting a disease endemic to parts of Africa. Belgian experts said two cases - in two different cities - had been detected. Spain reported 14 new cases today to take its cumulative caseload to 21.