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[ad_1] The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday asked Pakistan to share the plan in writing to provide relief in electricity bills as the protests continue countrywide. According to media report, the development comes after the caretaker government decided to seek the lender's nod before announcing any relief to the consumers. A meeting of the federal cabinet was held on Tuesday with interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar in the chair to mull options but ended without announcing any measures. The Power Division shared its proposals with the authorities but due to strict IMF loan conditions, it was concluded that the lender should be taken on board first. Islamabad had signed a $3 billion loan agreement with the Fund in July and agreed to stringent financial discipline during the programme. Under the bailout package, the previous government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement okayed a massive increase in electricity rates which are now being reflected in th...

[ad_1] Protesters clashed with security forces across France on Monday as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for Labour Day to vent their anger against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform . Unions had been hoping for a vast turnout across France for the May 1 protests to further rattle Macron, who has been greeted by pot-bashing and jeers as he toured the country seeking to defend the reforms and relaunch his second mandate. Macron last month signed a law to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite months of strikes against the bill. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne slammed as "unacceptable" violence that erupted in several cities. "In many cities in France, this May Day was a moment for responsible mobilisation and commitment. The scenes of violence on the sidelines of the demonstrations are all the more unacceptable," she wrote on Twitter . Paris's city hall told ...