Imran Khan barred from politics in Pakistan

Pakistan’s election commission ruled that the former prime minister can’t hold office for the next five years. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Imran Khan barred from politics in Pakistan [Supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party hold a protest to condemn Election Commission's decision, in Karachi, Pakistan, Oct. 21, 2022.] Credit: Fareed Khan/AP Pakistan Pakistan’s election commission has ruled that former Prime Minister Imran Khan is [barred from holding office]( for the next five years. It stated the decision was because Khan had “made false statements” about declaring the sale of gifts sent to him by the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Dubai while in office, which is illegal under the country’s constitution. The announcement is likely to exacerbate political tensions in the country. Heavy police presence was deployed in the capital Islamabad in anticipation of protests. Khan, who maintains widespread popularity, has repeatedly stated that his ouster was the result of a [US-led conspiracy]( with involvement from current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistani military. Ukraine EU leaders have approved a plan to provide Ukraine with [an additional $18 billion]( in financial support in 2023 during a summit in Brussels. The plan would see the 27-nation bloc [match US financial support]( in monthly installments. It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Moscow is trying to create a refugee exodus by destroying Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The amount would come on top of the nearly $9 billion in macro-financing support that the EU is already providing. More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have registered for temporary protection in EU nations, with Poland hosting nearly a third of them. Myanmar Villagers say the military detained and then [killed a high school teacher](, leaving his decapitated body on display at a school in central Myanmar, in the latest of many alleged abuses. Witnesses say that 46-year-old Saw Tun Moe was left in front of the school's gate and the building, which has been closed since last year, was also burned down. The military junta has not released any information about the teacher's death. The county’s military has arrested tens of thousands of people and has been blamed for [killing more than 2,300 civilians]( since it seized power last year, in addition to its atrocities against the country's minority Rohingya population. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [‘We want Africa to take its place’: African leaders call for more representation at UN Security Council]( [South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor addresses the United Nations Security Council as they convened to discuss a partnership for peace and security in Africa at United Nations headquarters, Sept. 26, 2019.]( Credit: Craig Ruttle/AP Leaders of African nations have long demanded [reforms to the UN Security Council](, arguing that they deserve more representation, given the large percentage of council issues that involve the entire African continent. [In Catalonia, ruling separatist parties split, signaling end of an era]( [Protesters hold esteladas or independence flags as they take part in a demonstration during the Catalan National Day in Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 11, 2022.]( Credit: Joan Mateu Parra/AP Catalonia’s regional leader is defending an uphill negotiation with Spain over an independence referendum as his long-time separatist allies walk away. The [collapse of the two-party alliance]( signals the end of an era for Catalonia's independence movement. --------------------------------------------------------------- Double take In a blast from the past, a satire show based in Canada, called "Canadian Politics Is Boring,” is trying a new experiment by releasing one of its episodes on [audio cassette]( to address digital scarcity by embracing analogue scarcity. The episode, “An Incomplete History of The Hudson Bay Company,” will only exist on 50 cassette tapes — distributed to a select few, starting with its Patreon subscribers — and will be deleted from all digital platforms once released. “Podcasts are famously free and accessible to all. We thought it would be fun to go the other way,” said co-host Rhys Waters. In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.