PAKISTAN: Thousands of government supporters converged on the Supreme Court today in a rare challenge to the judiciary. 

They demanded the resignation of the chief justice for ordering the release of former prime minister Imran Khan.

The Pakistan Democratic Alliance, a grouping of 13 political parties affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, had called for the protests. 

MYANMAR: At least six deaths and more than 700 injured were reported today after a powerful cyclone hit, cutting off communications.

The full impact of the storm is likely to emerge only once communications have been restored in one of Asia’s least developed countries.

GERMANY: Authorities have filed charges against four alleged members of a far-right group that aimed to kill left-wing activists, prosecutors announced today.

The four men, identified only as Leon R, Maximilian A, Eric K and Bastian A, in line with local privacy rules, were charged with crimes including serious bodily harm, resisting and attacking police officers, disturbing the peace and violating Germany’s weapons law.

The men were detained in central Germany in April and federal prosecutors filed the charges earlier this month.

SOUTH AFRICA: President Cyril Ramaphosa said today that his government was under “extraordinary pressure” to ditch its non-aligned position on the war in Ukraine.

In his weekly newsletter, Mr Ramaphosa vowed that South Africa would not take sides in what is essentially “a contest between Russia and the West.”

His comments followed South Africa being accused by the United States last week of secretly providing arms and ammunition to Russia.