Session

• During a National Assembly session, legislators focused on constituency issues, with PPP members demanding a formal policy statement from the Prime Minister regarding the creation of new provinces. • MNAs raised urgent concerns over the increasing rates of violence against women, calling for government attention to the crisis. • PPP MNA Sharmila Faruqui criticized federal development disparities, noting that Rs49bn was approved for the Lahore-Sahiwal-Bahawalnagar Motorway while only Rs30bn was released for the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway.

Former England forward crashed on M3 in late MaySterling is also accused of failing to provide a specimenThe former England forward Raheem Sterling has been charged with dangerous driving and possession of nitrous oxide after a crash involving a Lamborghini on the motorway, police have said.Hampshire and Isle of Wight constabulary said the charges followed a single-vehicle collision on the M3 southbound, near Minley interchange, on 28 May. The 31-year-old is accused of dangerous driving, possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation and failing to provide a specimen. Continue reading...

• US stock futures rose ahead of the August 26 session, with the Nasdaq 100 leading gains at 0.9% and Dow futures up 0.6%. • Investors are closely monitoring premarket gains for chipmakers Nvidia, AMD, and Micron, specifically awaiting Nvidia’s upcoming quarterly results. • Market volatility is being driven by falling oil prices, shifting Iran war support, and a 10-year Treasury yield that dropped over 3 basis points to 4.666%.

• The BJP and Congress are locked in a political face-off over the implementation of a women's reservation bill for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. • On Sunday, the BJP challenged Rahul Gandhi's stance, questioning why he opposes the government's push for an early rollout of quotas despite his own advocacy for women's empowerment. • This clash occurs as the Parliament's monsoon session has yet to be officially prorogued, keeping the legislative tension high.

• The Indian Parliament's Monsoon Session has not been prorogued despite being adjourned indefinitely ten days ago. • This unusual delay has sparked widespread speculation that the Central government intends to introduce a delimitation-linked amendment to the women's reservation bill. • The move is significant as it suggests the government may be seeking a legislative window to align reservation quotas with upcoming electoral boundary redistributions.

• Indian domestic equities rebounded on Thursday, with the Nifty index recording a gain of 0.6 percent. • Despite the recovery, foreign portfolio investors remained cautious, resulting in a net sale of shares worth Rs 583 crore. • Market analysts expect equities to remain largely sideways in the short term, though they maintain a marginal recovery bias.

• Indian stock markets declined for the seventh consecutive session on August 19, 2026, with the Nifty 50 losing 2.1% over the seven-day period. • The downturn was driven by high long-term global bond yields, which reduced investor appetite for emerging-market equities. • Selling was widespread across the board, affecting 14 of 16 major sectoral indices, including small-cap and mid-cap indices which fell 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively.