tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9494541458194302152024-03-18T22:40:43.737+05:00South Punjab News Asqamarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06324805698501311975noreply@blogger.comBlogger24903125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-63763852673304208082024-03-18T22:39:00.003+05:002024-03-18T22:39:42.769+05:00War between Pakista- Afghanistan has begun- skirmishes may escalate into ‘small-scale war’ <p><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_p4o5fLX2SqhmRjeeQ9Nexj20-VgJOkwq0ooz8eh9QX7TtaZC5ehvU8rk8r1MPjjbj8j-Y1bl8Ztv5biirl5RQSMBe5Zbyrbbk4dvFAfbo8msqz425K9BEfyppDtrWSnAKX7D9vzCfD_2QaO8rY4j3gyL2z6XiNnXjbNd6E5RoqfTKgRW5oy9uHa0_Y/s670/border.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="670" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_p4o5fLX2SqhmRjeeQ9Nexj20-VgJOkwq0ooz8eh9QX7TtaZC5ehvU8rk8r1MPjjbj8j-Y1bl8Ztv5biirl5RQSMBe5Zbyrbbk4dvFAfbo8msqz425K9BEfyppDtrWSnAKX7D9vzCfD_2QaO8rY4j3gyL2z6XiNnXjbNd6E5RoqfTKgRW5oy9uHa0_Y/w400-h236/border.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Recent cross-border incursions by Pakistan and Afghanistan in each other’s territory may escalate into a “small-scale war” between the two neighbors, security and foreign relations experts said on Monday, urging both countries to hold a dialogue to defuse the situation.</span><p></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces early Monday against what it said were militant targets. The Afghan Taliban said the strikes killed five women and three children, prompting them to fire heavy weapons at Pakistani forces along the border.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The skirmishes occurred at a time when ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained over an increase in militant attacks in Pakistan that Islamabad has blamed on militant groups operating from Afghanistan. Kabul denies the use of its soil against any country.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Monday’s strikes also came two days after seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack in the country’s northwest, with Pakistan’s army saying the recent wave of militancy had “full support and assistance” of Afghanistan. Kabul also said it had summoned the acting head of the Pakistan’s embassy and issued a protest note over the strikes.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Security and foreign relations experts have expressed concern over the skirmishes and fear that they could escalate into a small-scale war or a prolonged conflict, particularly if the Afghan side did not demonstrate responsibility.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“These isolated skirmishes could escalate into a small-scale war unless the Afghan interim government demonstrates responsible behavior,” Brig. (retired) Ahmed Saeed Minhas, a defense analyst, told Arab News.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">He stressed the need to establish a working group, comprising political and military officials from both countries, to address concerns regarding the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and actions that could be taken by the Afghan Taliban to rein in militant groups.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Pakistan thinks that failure to act could normalize such aggression, emboldening the TTP to increase terrorist activities unchecked,” Minhas said.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">While economic constraints of both countries preclude a full-scale war, responding to attacks on one’s sovereignty becomes unavoidable, according to the analyst. The onus is now on Afghan authorities as Pakistan’s foreign ministry has clarified that it seeks to limit further escalation.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an official privy to the developments said Pakistan’s action was prompted by the March 16 attack in the North Waziristan district that killed seven soldiers, including two army officers.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“A decision was made to deliver a robust response, aimed at deterring elements using Afghan soil against Pakistan,” he told Arab News. “The strikes served as a message to emphasize Pakistan’s capacity to retaliate within Afghan territory, if necessary.”</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The official said the skirmishes were likely to remain localized with de-escalation anticipated, but they could also escalate further if the Afghan side “continued to behave irresponsibly.”</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Monday’s incursions come months after Pakistan and Iran traded airstrikes in each other’s territory against what they described as militant targets.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Asked if Pakistan could afford conflicts with three of its four neighbors, the official said Pakistan maintained positive relations with Iran and the border situation was peaceful, with no ongoing cross-border shelling or skirmishes with India.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“India is leveraging proxies in Afghanistan to utilize the TTP against Pakistan, sow discord between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, and cozy up to the interim government to regain influence in Afghanistan,” he added.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Former diplomat Rustam Shah Mohmand, who has served as Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan, said the alarming situation had arisen because of “misguided assumptions” that the Afghan Taliban supported and endorsed the TTP.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“According to my discussions with Afghan Taliban leaders, they have consistently expressed their desire for Afghan soil not to be used against Pakistan,” he told Arab News.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">He said the escalation between the two countries would not benefit either side and lead to increased isolation in the region. “The Afghan interim government will face additional economic challenges as trade disruptions occur if the hostile situation escalates further,” he said.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Afghans were angered by Pakistan’s forceful expulsion of their nationals last year and Islamabad’s repeated demands with regard to Kabul’s ties with India, according to Mohmand. Pakistan has also not openly supported the Afghan interim government as expected, leaving a vacuum that the TTP and India have exploited.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Now, following Pakistani strikes, Afghans feel compelled to retaliate, and it is crucial for both countries to carefully defuse the situation to prevent further escalation and larger skirmishes on the border,” he added.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security expert, said Pakistan had finally run out of patience with Kabul for its tolerance for the TTP, which continues to attack Pakistani military and civilians from Afghan territory.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ali rejected the Afghan claims of women and children getting killed in Islamabad’s strikes, saying that Pakistan had no “incentive in targeting unarmed civilians inside Afghanistan.”</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Pakistan, through credible real-time intelligence from multiple sources, carefully identified TTP Commander and terrorist camps and after Kabul’s failure to eliminate terrorists from Afghan territory, Islamabad was forced to take out the terrorists involved in recent attacks inside Pakistan,” he told Arab News.</span></p><p data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen109681369_153="189382" data-gtm-vis-has-fired109681369_153="1" data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen109681369_153="189377" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time109681369_153="100" style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“To avoid further escalation, I urge the Afghan interim govt to demonstrate responsible statecraft.”</span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-12484871307552928942024-03-18T22:35:00.003+05:002024-03-18T22:35:08.764+05:00Bypassing Pakistan, Taliban set sights on Iranian port for access to international markets<p><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3opbJEr42OjFY3DAngNn9AOnhriJvEckQengh7_pnnLtSnEwGk0wr7S-N1d1AV4aI2t6ygp6kaGu351x3RCsNqQdAvcWUmXGuSDc4oOnoRpQVUGSXPnyrgru4ijBSkYFRnyCu-6MqR5OTzfXLEMO2l4In45kcBMP1UsE10L-avNS_WYJisNjSkgf98qw/s670/iran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="670" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3opbJEr42OjFY3DAngNn9AOnhriJvEckQengh7_pnnLtSnEwGk0wr7S-N1d1AV4aI2t6ygp6kaGu351x3RCsNqQdAvcWUmXGuSDc4oOnoRpQVUGSXPnyrgru4ijBSkYFRnyCu-6MqR5OTzfXLEMO2l4In45kcBMP1UsE10L-avNS_WYJisNjSkgf98qw/w400-h236/iran.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Landlocked Afghanistan is setting its sights on the Iranian port of Chabahar for access to international markets, giving up on another neighbor, Pakistan, as its main trade route.</span><p></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Taliban administration in Kabul announced in late February a $35 million investment in the southern Iranian port, which next to Pakistan’s Gwadar and Karachi is for Afghanistan the closest access point to the Indian Ocean.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Chabahar port is a vital point in trade and relations between Iran and Afghanistan and plays an important role in the development of economic, trade, and cultural cooperation between the two neighboring countries,” Abdul Salam Jawad Akhundzada, spokesperson of the Taliban-run Ministry of Industry and Commerce, told Arab News.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Iran does not officially recognize the Taliban administration in Kabul, but has sustained commercial and trade ties, in which Chabahar can become a vital feature.</span></p><div data-id="8KSJEeXF8Vcv" style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; flex: 0 1 100%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="orp-player-wrapper orp-aspectRateFixed orp-tiny-size orp-player-ipm orp-player-ipm-hidden orp-went-sticky orp-force-hide-player" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); box-sizing: inherit; height: 0px !important; margin: 5px auto; max-width: 640px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; transition: height 0.3s linear 0s, margin-top 0s ease 0s, margin-bottom 0s ease 0s; width: 371px;"></div></div><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Taliban are hopeful it would help revive the economy that has been reeling under international sanctions since mid-2021 when they took power as US-led forces left Afghanistan after two decades of war.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Afghanistan can use the Chabahar port for exports of agricultural products, foods, and industrial raw materials, while using it for transit for goods to and from neighboring countries and the wider region,” Akhundzada said.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The use of this port can develop the transportation industry in Afghanistan. This includes the development of transportation infrastructure, increasing the efficiency and quality of transportation services, and increasing the ability to transit goods to other countries. Also, the use of Chabahar port can help attract foreign and domestic investment in various industries.”</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Taliban administration’s interest in Chabahar comes amid tensions with Pakistani authorities. The administration in Kabul has been accusing Pakistan of granting access to its port of Karachi as a political leverage.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Most of our exports and imports were previously through Karachi port. Depending on a country that has been heavily involved in Afghanistan’s affairs in such a critical area was not the right thing for Afghanistan, particularly that the economy of the other country is closely tied with politics,” a close aide of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, told Arab News.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Relying on Karachi has also become more costly, due to various duties slapped on Afghan traders by Pakistani authorities. The turn to Chabahar would also reshape Afghanistan’s economic relations in the region, as India — Pakistan’s arch-rival — is one of the main investors in the port’s development.</span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Pakistan increased the taxes on export, frequently delayed Afghan traders’ goods in the entry points, and regularly imposed fines on Afghan traders causing damage to their business,” Shafiqullah Elhami, former economic adviser to the Afghan presidential office, said.</span></p><p data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen109681369_148="64125" data-gtm-vis-has-fired109681369_148="1" data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen109681369_148="64124" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time109681369_148="100" style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The shift from Karachi to Chabahar will mean that Iran becomes the first economic partner with Afghanistan’s market, preceding Pakistan. Chabahar will also increase India’s presence in the Afghan market, also in regional politics.”</span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-30549440373041291912024-03-18T22:31:00.000+05:002024-03-18T22:31:00.414+05:00North Korea fires ballistic missiles as Blinken visits Seoul<p><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyNFb0NXMuynBFUMcRR9VedHg2AqhxSCf3ygTEA_Don6fNlmYwYIHGRfkO33_Z4FG0XjjHzwSW2Y1AGouUL23z-2c0tk9y_pcHfTgCkHKtIBJQB6NR2Q-hHsSfAwCDepB2Lw2zFLbZkY5Hqe38Tp5_WNh72un23NcbRH84QJYAn8YsVwkrbuir5xGGSg/s670/missile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="670" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyNFb0NXMuynBFUMcRR9VedHg2AqhxSCf3ygTEA_Don6fNlmYwYIHGRfkO33_Z4FG0XjjHzwSW2Y1AGouUL23z-2c0tk9y_pcHfTgCkHKtIBJQB6NR2Q-hHsSfAwCDepB2Lw2zFLbZkY5Hqe38Tp5_WNh72un23NcbRH84QJYAn8YsVwkrbuir5xGGSg/s320/missile.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Monday in what analysts said was a calculated move to grab attention as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits South Korea for talks.</span><p></p><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Blinken is attending the third Summit for Democracy and met President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul early Monday. He is also meeting his South Korean counterpart on the sidelines of the event, for discussions now likely to be dominated by the allies’ efforts to counter threats from the nuclear-armed North.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Washington and Seoul wrapped up one of their major annual joint military training exercises last week, prompting angry retorts and live-fire drills from nuclear-armed Pyongyang, which condemns all such exercises as rehearsals for invasion.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Seoul’s military said it had detected the launch of “multiple short-range ballistic missiles” early Monday, which flew around 300 kilometers (186 miles) before coming down into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">“We are closely sharing relevant information with the US and Japan and are maintaining utmost readiness,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff added.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">After meeting Yoon, Blinken “condemned the... launch of ballistic missiles by the DPRK and reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to the ROK’s security,” Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, referring to North and South Korea by their official names.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said the North had fired three short-range ballistic missiles, which landed outside of the country’s EEZ and did not cause any damage.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">The launches come just days after Seoul and Washington’s annual Freedom Shield drills, which this year involved double the number of troops, ended Thursday.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Pyongyang this month warned that Seoul and Washington would pay a “dear price” over the drills, and later announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had guided an artillery unit it says was capable of striking the South Korean capital.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">“It’s a highly calculated move timing-wise by Pyongyang to fire multiple missiles to show they are capable of doing such an act even when the top US diplomat is in town,” Professor Choi Gi-il of military studies at Sangji University said.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">North Korea typically stages missile launches “as a tit-for-tat” after US-South Korea joint drills, Han Kwon-hee of Korea Association of Defense Industry Studies said.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Blinken’s presence only adds to their motivation, he said, as it “means more attention from Washington and adds pressure on host Seoul.”</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Monday’s ballistic missile test is the North’s second this year, after Pyongyang launched one tipped with a manoeuvrable hypersonic warhead on January 14.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Blinken landed in South Korea on Sunday afternoon ahead of the democracy summit, which runs from March 18 to 20 and will bring together government officials, NGOs and civil society members.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Seoul is one of Washington’s key regional allies, and the United States has stationed about 27,000 American soldiers in the South to help protect it against the nuclear-armed North.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Conservative President Yoon has boosted ties with Washington and sought to bury the historical hatchet with former colonial power Japan to better guard against Pyongyang’s threats.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">So far this year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its “principal enemy,” jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over “even 0.001 mm” of territorial infringement.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">“While South Korea conducted defense training last week alongside international partners, Kim Jong-un personally supervised several military exercises, and now while Seoul hosts a summit of democracies, North Korea fires more missiles,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">“The Kim regime’s one-upmanship aims to show strength to its domestic audience, suggest costs on the Korean Peninsula for Seoul’s international security cooperation, and warn Washington against increasing pressure on Pyongyang.”</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Blinken also met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul for discussions on boosting the alliance, as Washington and Seoul look to improve their so-called “extended deterrence” against North Korea.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">After Seoul, Blinken heads to the Philippines.</span></span>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-88965146504223643672024-03-18T22:25:00.003+05:002024-03-18T22:25:16.667+05:00Record heat index of 62.3C scorches Rio de Janeiro<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGjBeo2Q6hnvs7vH7smOVETxIaqoE3c_oVLerTF9mEjS8k1sTEx1wS3sMv226cytIYmUwT3MhsGNOrIHOcQvwNwwlwegtF_lvSl1rwilU3a13_mZi9XfCZMq-89_oK-pAoEv5V_6RHFWIA389299je9-0BJIWEypPdrBGvdc0W4t-d08uPB886Ks_km8/s1170/heat-2.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1170" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGjBeo2Q6hnvs7vH7smOVETxIaqoE3c_oVLerTF9mEjS8k1sTEx1wS3sMv226cytIYmUwT3MhsGNOrIHOcQvwNwwlwegtF_lvSl1rwilU3a13_mZi9XfCZMq-89_oK-pAoEv5V_6RHFWIA389299je9-0BJIWEypPdrBGvdc0W4t-d08uPB886Ks_km8/w400-h266/heat-2.webp" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A heatwave stifling Brazil has set new records with Rio de Janeiro’s heat index hitting 62.3 degrees Celsius (144.1 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest in a decade, weather authorities say.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; hyphens: auto; margin: 0.5rem 0px 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The heat index measures what a temperature feels like by taking into account humidity. The actual maximum temperature in the city was 42C on Monday, the Rio Alert weather system said.</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; hyphens: auto; margin: 0.5rem 0px 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1I3xfbvgs70FL7MxIrZadE7sfWAPeRwuvb7sa7JFort49lrfL_GNKxwwZpWnNWp5y3cAzHuHYzdn6fEDfTxYnDhSVzorbJnnau_teL91WssXsw4VUPfOlWZWWgbsTC2vngai6wWX3smUM1e0aN9mXjnjQ-Spp2EL6eHiAIi-MZ1eEK8bGOV3_bnh030/s1170/heat.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1170" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1I3xfbvgs70FL7MxIrZadE7sfWAPeRwuvb7sa7JFort49lrfL_GNKxwwZpWnNWp5y3cAzHuHYzdn6fEDfTxYnDhSVzorbJnnau_teL91WssXsw4VUPfOlWZWWgbsTC2vngai6wWX3smUM1e0aN9mXjnjQ-Spp2EL6eHiAIi-MZ1eEK8bGOV3_bnh030/w400-h266/heat.webp" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The 62.3C record was notched in western Rio at 09:55am (12:55 GMT) on Sunday, and was the “highest mark” since Alerta Rio began keeping such records in 2014.</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; hyphens: auto; margin: 0.5rem 0px 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Ipanema and Copacabana beaches were packed with people as authorities published tips on coping with the heat.</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; hyphens: auto; margin: 0.5rem 0px 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“I am very afraid it will get worse because the population is increasing a lot and deforestation is very high due to the increase in housing,” 49-year-old administrative assistant Raquel Correia lamented in a park in central Rio.</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; hyphens: auto; margin: 0.5rem 0px 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyPCzJ4dVI6QLXCjeFPzaGgZvsaQpy-0LSNViypuqU-1mF3KeEh9rDunk2O6caX2uBUkz8rBzM84C_df3JQVNuQyRtPLvBUI_z7k9-n5hsHBRSlfza7DKrXTcwksg81nytPr-Y5hrddYG7Or1aU4lhiMQikrJMama7omaNehLsOylU4TaSXrYgUtVEAQ/s1170/heat-1.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1170" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyPCzJ4dVI6QLXCjeFPzaGgZvsaQpy-0LSNViypuqU-1mF3KeEh9rDunk2O6caX2uBUkz8rBzM84C_df3JQVNuQyRtPLvBUI_z7k9-n5hsHBRSlfza7DKrXTcwksg81nytPr-Y5hrddYG7Or1aU4lhiMQikrJMama7omaNehLsOylU4TaSXrYgUtVEAQ/s320/heat-1.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The previous heat index record was set in November when it hit 59.7C (139.5F).</span><p></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; hyphens: auto; margin: 0.5rem 0px 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, extreme rains were wreaking havoc in the south of the country and are forecast to continue next week, according to authorities.</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; hyphens: auto; margin: 0.5rem 0px 30px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The week will be of very high risk in the centre-south of Brazil due to intense rains and storms. The most worrisome system is a very intense cold front that will arrive with torrential rains and possible gales,” the weather information agency MetSul warned.</span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-13401109750163843442024-03-18T22:14:00.002+05:002024-03-18T22:14:50.890+05:00Oxfam accuses Israel of ‘deliberately’ blocking aid to famine-stalked Gaza<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIarRlR18JgcTfBZGYFVojfiTL3wNMOdSVCbQvEadRn_MIEtcBmOZOVGmcCG0euvWt5ElnsOredCVIJikcobGHqQieOsVa8lwvgrw_dXLfUpTq-I1UCVj9ipMLsSgKUQa9-_JYQpq1qhLsw9pDHevJm3ZU8Z44fScicYOaIuWQJoUwEklvoKiXvPZ24SM/s770/agency.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="770" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIarRlR18JgcTfBZGYFVojfiTL3wNMOdSVCbQvEadRn_MIEtcBmOZOVGmcCG0euvWt5ElnsOredCVIJikcobGHqQieOsVa8lwvgrw_dXLfUpTq-I1UCVj9ipMLsSgKUQa9-_JYQpq1qhLsw9pDHevJm3ZU8Z44fScicYOaIuWQJoUwEklvoKiXvPZ24SM/s320/agency.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Israel is using bureaucracy to “deliberately” hinder aid supplies headed into Gaza, Oxfam has claimed.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The NGO’s assertion was made in a report titled: Inflicting Unprecedented Suffering and Destruction, which was released on Monday. It came amid a rise in international protest against the shortages of food, water and medicine in the besieged and battered Palestinian enclave, with one United Nations agency warning that famine will arrive by May at the latest.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Oxfam detailed the rejection of a warehouse full of international aid including oxygen, incubators, and water and sanitation gear. The NGO said this is “just one example of an overall humanitarian response that Israel has made so dangerous and dysfunctional as to be impossible for aid agencies to work at the speed and scale necessary to save lives, despite best efforts”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It went on to state that Israel is “breaking one of the key provisions demanded by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – to boost humanitarian aid in light of the risk of genocide in Gaza”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“People living in Gaza will suffer mass death from disease and starvation far beyond the current 31,000 Palestinian war casualties unless Israel takes immediate steps to end its violations,” it adds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The ICJ order should have shocked Israeli leaders to change course, but since then conditions in Gaza have actually worsened,” said Oxfam Middle East and North Africa director Sally Abi Khalil.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Israeli authorities are not only failing to facilitate the international aid effort but are actively hindering it. We believe that Israel is failing to take all measures within its power to prevent genocide.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Israel controls most of Gaza’s seven land crossings but only Rafah and Karem Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom crossings are open to aid, Oxfam said. Egypt partially controls the Rafah border.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A total of 15,413 trucks have been allowed into Gaza since October 7, according to the NGO, five times less than the minimum required.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Oxfam said its aid cargo is stuck at the El Arish warehouse in Egypt just 40 kilometres away from the Gaza border, and added trucks wait for 20 days on average to be able to pass through.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Scores of aid workers have been hit in Israeli attacks and some 400 aid seekers have been killed. The United States has resorted to aid airdrops that in one case proved fatal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The US is also working on plans to construct a seaport. A vessel towing 200 tonnes of aid to test a European Union-backed effort to open a sea corridor arrived in Gaza last week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Josep Borell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, reiterated on Monday previous calls for Israel to lift the blockade, and again accused Tel Aviv of using starvation as a “weapon of war”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“In Gaza, we are no longer on the brink of famine, we are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people,” Borrell said, speaking at a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza in Brussels. “This is unacceptable. Famine is being used as a weapon of war.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Responding to Borell, Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said Borell should stop “attacking” Israel, and blamed Hamas for disrupting aid.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Israel allows extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza by land, air, and sea for anyone willing to help,” he said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">However, a United Nations-backed body warned in a separate report released on Monday that more than 200,000 people in northern Gaza – 70 percent of the population in the area – face famine between now and May.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Household malnutrition levels have likely reached or surpassed famine thresholds, with the results being looming “steep” rises in child deaths, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The IPC is a scaling tool used globally to assess the risks of food shortages and provide early warnings to governments. It was developed by the UN and private partners and determines when the UN can formally declare a famine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Virtually all households across Gaza are starving, the report found.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In the north, where one in three children under two years is already acutely malnourished, people in nearly two-thirds of households went days without food at least 10 times in the last 30 days, the report said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Half of Gaza’s population – 1.11 million people – are now in IPC’s phase 5 or catastrophe stage, the highest indicator of a famine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">People in central and southern Gaza are already at phase 4 emergency levels – just one step from famine – according to the IPC.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Waiting for a confirmation that famine is occurring or has actually occurred to take radical measures is indefensible,” the researchers said.</span></p><div><br /></div>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-39964785564664649792024-03-18T14:33:00.001+05:002024-03-18T14:33:06.111+05:00Vladimir Putin wins Russia election in landslide with no serious competition<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuY0Uuvzdc1lLiMha5MUunwhw4oratLfcWqC7HFUnqCTMI6or5-71faBb4rsj8dHI4goiBaCQg1dpINGGsCavm221W5v9N2OSSW0YavcbsLAx__QwbIADNhjsfXAtZks6ex_HLSudXAGO7hhvTi10hvFHqhOwXVesP8yi1Xlt67hDKUeDQTM1h_mqDNKE/s800/putin-w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuY0Uuvzdc1lLiMha5MUunwhw4oratLfcWqC7HFUnqCTMI6or5-71faBb4rsj8dHI4goiBaCQg1dpINGGsCavm221W5v9N2OSSW0YavcbsLAx__QwbIADNhjsfXAtZks6ex_HLSudXAGO7hhvTi10hvFHqhOwXVesP8yi1Xlt67hDKUeDQTM1h_mqDNKE/s320/putin-w.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia’s election on Sunday, cementing his already tight grip on power in a victory he said showed Moscow had been right to stand up to the West and send its troops into Ukraine.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first rose to power in 1999, made it clear that the result should send a message to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether in war or peace, for many more years to come.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The outcome means Putin, 71, is set to embark on a new six-year term that will see him overtake Josef Stalin and become Russia’s longest-serving leader for more than 200 years if he completes it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Putin won 87.8 per cent of the vote, the highest-ever result in Russia’s post-Soviet history, according to an exit poll by pollster the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) put Putin on 87pc. The first official results indicated the polls were accurate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other nations have said the vote was neither free nor fair due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov finished second with just under 4pc, newcomer Vladislav Davankov third, and ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky fourth, partial results suggested.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Putin told supporters in a victory speech in Moscow that he would prioritise resolving tasks associated with what he called Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine and would strengthen the Russian military.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“We have many tasks ahead. But when we are consolidated — no matter who wants to intimidate us, suppress us — nobody has ever succeeded in history, they have not succeeded now, and they will not succeed ever in the future,” said Putin.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Supporters chanted “Putin, Putin, Putin” when he appeared on stage and “Russia, Russia, Russia” after he had delivered his acceptance speech.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Inspired by opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison last month, thousands of opponents protested at noon against Putin at polling stations inside Russia and abroad.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Putin told reporters he regarded Russia’s election as democratic and said the Navalny-inspired protest against him had had no effect on the election’s outcome.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In his first comments on his death, he also said that Navalny’s passing had been a “sad event” and confirmed that he had been ready to do a prisoner swap involving the opposition politician.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">When asked by NBC, a US TV network, whether his re-election was democratic, Putin criticised the US political and judicial systems.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The whole world is laughing at what is happening (in the United States),” he said. “This is just a disaster, not a democracy.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“…Is it democratic to use administrative resources to attack one of the candidates for the presidency of the United States, using the judiciary among other things?” he asked, making an apparent reference to four criminal cases against Republican candidate Donald Trump.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Russian election comes just over two years since Putin triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two by ordering the invasion of Ukraine.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">War has hung over the three-day election: Ukraine has repeatedly attacked oil refineries in Russia, shelled Russian regions and sought to pierce Russian borders with proxy forces — a move Putin said would not be left unpunished.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Putin said Russia might need to create a buffer zone inside Ukraine to prevent such attacks in future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">While Putin’s re-election was not in doubt given his control over Russia and the absence of any real challengers, the former KGB spy had wanted to show he had the overwhelming support of Russians.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Nationwide turnout was 74.22pc at 1800 GMT when polls closed, election officials said, surpassing 2018 levels of 67.5pc.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There was no independent tally of how many of Russia’s 114 million voters took part in the opposition demonstrations, amid tight security involving tens of thousands of police and security officials.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Reuters journalists saw an increase in the flow of voters, especially younger people, at noon at polling stations in Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, with queues of several hundred people and even thousands.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Some said they were protesting, though there were few outward signs to distinguish them from ordinary voters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">At least 74 people were arrested on Sunday across Russia, according to OVD-Info, a group that monitors crackdowns on dissent.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Over the previous two days, there were scattered incidents of protest as some Russians set fire to voting booths or poured green dye into ballot boxes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Opponents posted some pictures of ballots spoiled with slogans insulting Putin. But Navalny’s death has left the opposition deprived of its most formidable leader, and other major opposition figures are abroad, in jail or dead.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The West casts Putin as an autocrat and a killer. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Putin wanted to rule forever and that the vote had been illegitimate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Putin portrays the war as part of a centuries-old battle with a declining West that he says humiliated Russia after the Cold War by encroaching on Moscow’s sphere of influence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Russia’s election comes at what Western spy chiefs say is a crossroads for the Ukraine war and the wider West.Support for Ukraine is tangled in US domestic politics ahead of the November presidential election.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Though Kyiv recaptured territory after the invasion in 2022, Russian forces have made gains after a failed Ukrainian counter-offensive last year.</span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-72290953336403117902024-03-18T14:27:00.003+05:002024-03-18T14:27:41.775+05:00Hypocricy-Duplicity -The West is giving Israel weapons while discussing delivering aid to Gaza<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUt9Jac4s-Jmy38ihEXfe3ah8x90gT1KLqjSJ8dcv1JAc1pVYYxtFEx4T6g8z4sTTL1JvWk39M_q928NRpFjt50L7AIKrVymLdaHNUFNfsaWHW531O-gw3njc4dzPHYjNWeXKR-EUqcsQTLrmi2xGgCH4XzhnRvAOoaRpGwMte0sky_U1rUBM47K_f9w/s300/gaza.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUt9Jac4s-Jmy38ihEXfe3ah8x90gT1KLqjSJ8dcv1JAc1pVYYxtFEx4T6g8z4sTTL1JvWk39M_q928NRpFjt50L7AIKrVymLdaHNUFNfsaWHW531O-gw3njc4dzPHYjNWeXKR-EUqcsQTLrmi2xGgCH4XzhnRvAOoaRpGwMte0sky_U1rUBM47K_f9w/w400-h224/gaza.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">West is responsible for the death of 31,000 Palestinians including 13000 children and United states is responsible for bloodbath in the region. US ever vetoed the resolution of ceasefire and gave free hand to Natanyahu for genocide of Palestinians to eliminate the state of Palestine. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> As lawmakers across much of the West debate the extent to which Israel may be hampering the passage of lifesaving aid into Gaza, the weapons exports that underpin much of Israel’s war on the besieged enclave continue to flow.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Since the war began, the volume of weapons entering Israel has increased as huge volumes of ordinance are used to flatten areas of Gaza as well as kill, maim and displace its civilian population.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“On the one hand, we have this dire humanitarian need, on the other hand, we have this continual supply of weapons to the country Israel, [which is] creating that need,” Akshaya Kumar, the director of crisis advocacy at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">When it comes to arming another country, international law has rules and conventions to control who arms whom and what the weapons are used for.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide – which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in January may plausibly be under way in Gaza – states are legally bound to prevent genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Under the terms of the internationally binding Arms Trade Treaty – to which the US is not a signatory – a country is prohibited from exporting weapons to any state it suspects might use them for “genocide, crimes against humanity… attacks directed against civilian objects or civilians protected as such”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">More than 31,000 Palestinians have died due to Israel’s war on Gaza so far, mostly women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, and some 73,000 have been injured. Health facilities, also under attack and siege, ceased being able to deal with the wounded and the dying months ago.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The enclave is teetering on the brink of humanitarian catastrophe. The European Union’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, told the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday that Israel is using hunger as a weapon of war and manufacturing disaster by stopping aid from entering.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Israel has also shot at people gathering to get what little aid is allowed in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">While “Western states have recently been going to great lengths to have Israel recognise its role in creating the suffering we’re seeing in Gaza,” HRW’s Kumar said, “we’re not seeing any corresponding reduction in the flow of weapons from states such as the US, Germany and beyond”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Israel’s principal arms suppliers have focused on getting aid into Gaza to reach the Palestinians being attacked with many of the weapons they sold to Israel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">US President Joe Biden used his State of the Union address this year to announce the creation of a maritime corridor by which he claims it would be possible to bypass Israel and deliver aid to Gaza.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">While some countries have suspended arms exports to Israel in light of its war on Gaza, some significant suppliers remain.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The US’s annual contribution of about $3.8bn to Israel’s military budget has continued, on top of which is a further $14bn for Israel the US approved in February, reportedly with an eye to preparing Israel for a “multi-front war” – which many read as opening another front against the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">According to the Stockholm Institute for Peace, the US provides 69 percent of Israel’s arms imports but recent confidential briefings to the US Congress, reported on by the Washington Post, suggest this may not be the full picture.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A legal loophole in the US Arms Export Control Act – which governs the export and end-use of weapons shipped from the US – means only packages of a certain value need Congressional oversight, meaning “bundled packages” below that value are being slipped through regularly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">So far, it was reported, about 100 arms shipments have taken place without any public record, causing an uproar among civil society groups. “With under-threshold sales and arms transfers, we have little insight into what munitions are being shipped – it’s a black hole,” Ari Tolany, the director of the Security Assistance Monitor at the US-based Center for International Policy said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Similarly, while the Israeli government claims they can assure Biden these arms are used in compliance with IHL [international humanitarian law], evidence from Gaza shows that’s not the case.” The US maintains it is acting within the provisions of the law.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Germany’s arms exports to Israel have increased too, with Berlin shipping some $350m worth of weaponry, a tenfold increase on 2022 exports, most of which was approved after the Hamas attack on Israel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Other countries, such as Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom, were all named in a UN report in February as maintaining their supplies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In response to a query by Al Jazeera as to the responsibility attached to arming Israel as it devastates Gaza, a US State Department spokesperson wrote that there “has been no determination that Israel has committed genocide, including in the ICJ”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In recent weeks, the UK and others are understood to have adopted a similar position over the well-reported and mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza, maintaining business as usual while expressing concern that the weapons they continue to supply may be used in an impending assault on Rafah, where 1.4 million civilians are sheltering.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">However, while many countries in the West continue to provide Israel with weapons, other former exporters appear alive to the legal hazards of licencing weapons to a state the ICJ has found may plausibly be committing genocide.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In addition to the Antwerp police being condemned by Belgium’s Labour Party for its decision to import antiriot weapons from Israel, there are wider, longstanding bans on weapons sales to Israel</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Shortly after the assault on Gaza began in October, Italy and Spain halted arms shipments to Israel, though the latter continues to provide ammunition for “display”. Belgium’s Walloon regional government, as well as the Japanese Itochu Corporation, have also announced that they are halting arms exports.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In February, a judge in the Netherlands upheld a ruling blocking the export of F-35 parts to Israel, saying, “It is undeniable that there is a clear risk the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The UN has already warned of the legal hazards of exporting weapons to Israel in its experts’ report, unambiguously titled: Arms exports to Israel must stop immediately.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The UK is facing legal pressure to reverse its position on weapons exports to Israel while in the US, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) NGO is appealing its case against the president, the secretary of state and the secretary of defence for the continued export of weapons to a state potentially engaging in genocide.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The initial Court (in Oakland, California) ruled that the supply of weapons to Israel was ultimately a ‘political question’,” Astha Sharma Pokharel, a staff attorney for CCR told Al Jazeera.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“However, while the judge conceded that the area was beyond his jurisdiction, he did call upon the executive to reconsider its ‘unflagging support’ for Israel’s attacks on Palestinians, which is incredibly unusual.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">That Israel may have used weapons provided by the West to kill and maim more than 100,000 people, as well as contribute to the hardship of countless more, is a growing conclusion in reports by observers, aid organisations and analysts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In the early weeks of January, the premises of the International Rescue Committee and the Medical Aid for Palestine NGO in one of the “safe zones” designated by the Israeli military in Gaza were struck by an Israeli jet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Subsequent investigations revealed the strike to have involved a “smart bomb” fired from an F-16 fighter, both manufactured in the US, with parts for the latter from the UK.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A statement by the two organisations this week said their attempts to understand what happened in January elicited six different versions of events from the Israeli army and no undertaking from the US and UK that they were holding Israel to account for its use of their weapons in breach of the Arms Trade Treaty, ratified by the UK in 2014.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Previous reports have documented Israeli abuse of the language of humanitarian protection to crowd people into smaller and smaller areas purported to be “safe” and then launch attacks on those same people.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Currently, Israel is speaking of creating “humanitarian islands” in the centre of Gaza ahead of a land assault on Rafah it has been threatening for weeks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In the meantime, sheltering within the city and across Gaza, millions wait.</span></p><p><br /></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-78648375391278898612024-03-18T14:05:00.004+05:002024-03-18T14:05:58.345+05:00Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gaza<p><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7; font-family: "playfair display", serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaEhOvW1A-UliKJWu7eyGcqkyqdO-Q_AaQngg86zacQl0shpqb0azacMzloYh2fG-2BbhJTiyq5eN07FHK603qmPBC_5hE7k1dkEnED9cvKf2sPn7PzjIbpmU0LNwRwPXN-QFfn3uqYMQcOC15JzupynrYKI6xki9EZrcwxSGzqQmBhk3iSuLPYafWJE/s670/natan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="670" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaEhOvW1A-UliKJWu7eyGcqkyqdO-Q_AaQngg86zacQl0shpqb0azacMzloYh2fG-2BbhJTiyq5eN07FHK603qmPBC_5hE7k1dkEnED9cvKf2sPn7PzjIbpmU0LNwRwPXN-QFfn3uqYMQcOC15JzupynrYKI6xki9EZrcwxSGzqQmBhk3iSuLPYafWJE/s320/natan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed against growing criticism from top ally the United States against his leadership amid the devastating war with Hamas, describing calls for a new election as “wholly inappropriate.”<p></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "playfair display", serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />In recent days, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the country and a strong Israel supporter, called on Israel to hold a new election, saying Netanyahu had “lost his way.” President Joe Biden expressed support for Schumer’s “good speech,” and earlier accused Netanyahu of hurting Israel because of the huge civilian death toll in Gaza.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel never would have called for a new US election after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, and denounced Schumer’s comments as inappropriate.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />“We’re not a banana republic,” he said. “The people of Israel will choose when they will have elections, and who they’ll elect, and it’s not something that will be foisted on us.”<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />When asked by CNN whether he would commit to a new election after the war ends, Netanyahu said that “I think that’s something for the Israeli public to decide.”<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />The US, which has provided key military and diplomatic support to Israel, also has expressed concerns about a planned Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. The spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, told Fox the US still hasn’t seen an Israeli plan for Rafah.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />The US supports a new round of talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in exchange for the return of Israeli hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />The Israeli delegation to those talks was expected to leave for Qatar after Sunday evening meetings of the Security Cabinet and War Cabinet, which will give directions for negotiations.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Despite the talks, Netanyahu made it clear he would not back down from the fighting that has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. More than five months have passed since Hamas’ attack on southern Israel killed 1,200 people and left another 250 hostage.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu said that calls for an election now — which polls show he would lose badly — would force Israel to stop fighting and paralyze the country for six months.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Netanyahu also reiterated his determination to attack Hamas in Rafah and said that his government approved military plans for such an operation.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />“We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen,” he said. The operation is supposed to include the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of civilians, but it is not clear how Israel will do that.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reiterated his warning that an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah would have “grave repercussions on the whole region.” Egypt says pushing Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula would jeopardize its peace treaty with Israel, a cornerstone of regional stability.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />“We are also very concerned about the risks a full-scale offensive in Rafah would have on the vulnerable civilian population. This needs to be avoided at all costs,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after meeting with El-Sisi.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday, warned that “the more desperate the situation of people in Gaza becomes, the more this begs the question: No matter how important the goal, can it justify such terribly high costs, or are there other ways to achieve your goal?”<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Germany is one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe and, given memories of the Holocaust, often treads carefully when criticizing Israel.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul-general in New York and an outspoken critic of Netanyahu, said that the prime minister’s comments fit with his efforts to find someone else to blame if Israel doesn’t achieve its goal of destroying Hamas.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />“He’s looking on purpose for a conflict with the US so that he can blame Biden,” Pinkas said.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Both sides have something to gain politically from the dispute. The Biden administration is under increasing pressure from progressive Democrats and some Arab-American supporters to restrain Israel’s war against Hamas. Netanyahu, meanwhile, wants to show his nationalist base that he can withstand global pressure, even from Israel’s closest ally.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />But pressure also comes from home, with thousands protesting again in Tel Aviv on Saturday night against Netanyahu’s government and calling for a new election and a deal for the release of hostages. Large parts of the Israeli public want a deal, fearing that hostages are held in poor conditions and time is running out to bring them home alive.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Israel’s offensive has driven most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes. A quarter of Gaza’s population is starving, according to the UN<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Airdrops by the US and other nations continue, while deliveries on a new sea route have begun, but aid groups say more ground routes and fewer Israeli restrictions on them are needed to meet humanitarian needs in any significant way.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />“Of course we should be bringing humanitarian aid by road. Of course by now we should be having at least two, three other entry points into Gaza,” chef José Andrés with World Central Kitchen, which organized the tons of food delivered by sea, told NBC.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 31,645 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Israel says Hamas is responsible for civilian deaths because it operates in dense residential areas.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />The Health Ministry on Sunday said that the bodies of 92 people killed in Israel’s bombardment had been brought to hospitals in Gaza in the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 130 wounded, it said.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />At least 11 people from the Thabet family, including five children and one woman, were killed in an airstrike in Deir Al-Balah city in central Gaza, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and an Associated Press journalist. The body of an infant lay among the dead.</p><p data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen109681369_153="116416" data-gtm-vis-has-fired109681369_153="1" data-gtm-vis-recent-on-screen109681369_153="116416" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time109681369_153="100" style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "playfair display", serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> </p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-16871147141076899642024-03-18T14:00:00.001+05:002024-03-18T14:00:09.080+05:00Provinces bordering Pakistan hit by airstrikes; claims 8 killed<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3b3ArLp6yRPKnY9Fl9Mmq_L9R_WCKOD0Oqb_27cB2Gjcd0gQ8h_rbd12beb8UMtZQqVdex-1LaLj5l-lpguEDfNPr-FCgcbTtruASZmZfII_53AcIvJ_3iiFG3YeX-LvpnGGksvvftcOexTJdbLrTvUzSH6GKC6Up_secdw39lCDMNv65dQhCn0sNyc/s500/mulla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="500" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3b3ArLp6yRPKnY9Fl9Mmq_L9R_WCKOD0Oqb_27cB2Gjcd0gQ8h_rbd12beb8UMtZQqVdex-1LaLj5l-lpguEDfNPr-FCgcbTtruASZmZfII_53AcIvJ_3iiFG3YeX-LvpnGGksvvftcOexTJdbLrTvUzSH6GKC6Up_secdw39lCDMNv65dQhCn0sNyc/s320/mulla.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">An Afghan interim government official on Monday said that the Afghanistan provinces of Paktika and Khost along the Pakistan border were hit by airstrikes, which killed eight people.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the government, alleged in a statement that Pakistani aircraft had carried out the airstrikes on Afghan soil. The Foreign Office and the Inter-Services Public Relations have yet to comment on the development. Dawn.com has reached out to both of them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">At “around 3am, Pakistani aircraft bombarded civilian homes” in Khost and Paktika provinces near the border with Pakistan, said Afghan interim government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, claiming that all eight people killed were women and children.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Mujahid told Dawn.com that planes had bombed the Laman area in Paktika’s Barmal district and the Afghan-Dubai area in Khost’s Spera district.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Alleging that “houses of common people were targeted”, he said three women and as many children were killed in Paktika and a house collapsed while two women were killed in Khost, where a house was destroyed as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The strikes come a day after President Asif Ali Zardari vowed retaliation following the martyrdom of seven soldiers, including two officers, in a terrorist attack on a security forces’ post in North Waziristan on Saturday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Offering the funeral prayers of the two officers, he asserted that the blood of the martyrs would not go in vain and the country would avenge them. The president said Pakistan would not hesitate to strike back if attacked by anyone at borders or inside its territory.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Hafiz Gul Bahadar group had claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in North Waziristan. Security officials say that fighters of the Gul Bahadar group operate from the Afghan side of the border, mostly from Khost.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Paktika province is located near Pakistan’s South Waziristan District while Khost is situated near North Waziristan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In a government statement posted on Mujahid’s X account, he said: “The Pakistani side is saying that [militant] Abdullah Shah was targeted in the strikes but he lives on the Pakistani side. Members of the same tribe live on both sides and routinely move across the border.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">He stated: “The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the attacks and describes these as non-serious actions and violation of Afghanistani territory.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The spokesperson further said: “Pakistan should not blame Afghanistan for their problems and failure to control violent incidents. Such acts can lead to dire consequences which will not be in control of Pakistan.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) also confirmed the strikes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The strikes come amid growing contact between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban rulers in recent days.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Pakistani charge d’affaires in Kabul travelled to Kandahar last week to meet Mullah Shirin Akhund, the Taliban governor for southern Kandahar who is one of the close confidants of the Taliban chief.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Jan Achakzai, the former caretaker Balochistan information minister, said, “Pakistan has avenged the blood of martyrs and targeted the safe havens of terrorists near the border.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In a post on X, he said, “If there is any terror attack in Pakistan, we will conduct a strong attack inside Afghanistan. Remember, the life of a Pakistani is more valuable for us than the entire Afghanistan.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Former caretaker foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, while extending his prayers for the soldiers martyred in the North Waziristan attack, said the army was “fighting the evil forces of terror originating from Afghanistan”. “This cowardly terror attack will be avenged,” he said in a post on X.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwari said the strikes marked a “turbulent page” in Pak-Afghan relations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“This marks a turbulent page in the relations between the new Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan must now rue its investment and opportunities on the Taliban,” Sarwari, who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took over in August 2021, said in a post on X.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Cross-border exchanges were also reported at Kurram District’s Parachinar today, where a captain was martyred and two soldiers injured.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Kurram District Police Officer (DPO) Mazhar Jahan confirmed the casualties to Dawn.com, adding that cross-border firing was ongoing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">He stated that the security forces were on “high alert” while local tribal leaders were also “cooperating” with the forces. “Emergency” status was imposed on all hospitals, the DPO added.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Turi Bangash tribe’s elder Jalal Bangash condemned the “baseless attack from Afghanistan”. He said such attacks on Pakistani territory should be refrained from in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Malik Nazeer, a resident of the border area of Borki, told Dawn.com that people on both sides of the border have started evacuating the area.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Two days ago, Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani said Islamabad has evidence that the TTP was getting money from India through Afghan proxies, estimating that 5,000 to 6,000 TTP militants have taken shelter in Afghanistan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“If we include their families, then the number goes up to 70,000,” Durrani said on Saturday while speaking at a programme hosted by an Islamabad-based think tank on the Afghan peace process.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In January last year, the FO categorically rejected reports claiming that Pakistan had carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Earlier this year, Iran had launched attacks in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl in the border town of Panjgur in Balochistan, leading to retaliatory strikes from Pakistan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ties between both countries saw a brief breakdown before they resolved to lower tensions and restored diplomatic ties.</span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-49694990776644237472024-03-17T22:13:00.003+05:002024-03-17T22:13:30.227+05:00Foreign students attacked in India over Ramadan prayer at university hostel<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Km-vGDYiHXkxHsf4QlmAznOOuHUe893dVfS1FQv1CpggXxxnAREbY1WubPRbcOQqkAyxtxhEkTP0RwiFHVNQlKIhuE9gM2Zd7ltW4KmPw3tbu8_z9qbg-VEbpXzjE2JTv530OCJ2uZzGMbjB08nuJ85m7cu0uD9pePWKuUmIzvMYtj_IUb2HR2jcoCU/s307/varisty.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="307" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Km-vGDYiHXkxHsf4QlmAznOOuHUe893dVfS1FQv1CpggXxxnAREbY1WubPRbcOQqkAyxtxhEkTP0RwiFHVNQlKIhuE9gM2Zd7ltW4KmPw3tbu8_z9qbg-VEbpXzjE2JTv530OCJ2uZzGMbjB08nuJ85m7cu0uD9pePWKuUmIzvMYtj_IUb2HR2jcoCU/w400-h214/varisty.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">At least four foreign students have been injured after a Hindu far-right mob allegedly stormed a university hostel in India’s western Gujarat state and attacked the group of students for offering prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, local media has reported.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday pledged to take “strict actions against the perpetrators”, as the local police in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi said an investigation was under way in connection with the attack at the Gujarat University.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The students told local media that a small group had gathered on Saturday night inside the boys’ hostel premises for the Ramadan tarawih prayer as there is no mosque on the university campus based in Ahmedabad. Soon after, a mob armed with sticks and knives stormed the hostel, attacked them and vandalised their rooms, they said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“A group of 15 students were offering prayers when three people came and started shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ [Hail lord Ram]. They objected to us praying here,” local media quoted a student as saying.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“After some time, about 250 people came and shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram’. They pelted stones and vandalised hostel properties.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A student from Afghanistan told local NDTV network: “They attacked us inside the rooms too. They broke laptops, phones and damaged bikes,” adding that the AC and sound system were destroyed as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Videos posted on X showed ransacked student dorms and a mob destroying the students’ motorbikes with long tools.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“We cannot survive like this,” one African student said in his video filmed from the hostel. In the background, loud shouting and sounds of items being demolished, broken and smashed by the mob are heard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“We came to India to study and now we’re being attacked just because it’s time for Ramadan and Muslims were praying. Now they’re breaking down the bikes, everything is being demolished down[stairs],” he said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Indian Express news website reported two of the students were severely injured and are recovering at a hospital after students from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and several African countries were attacked.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Yesterday, at around 10:30pm a group of students were praying. Around 20-25 people came and asked them why they were praying here and should instead go the mosque,” Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told reporters at a briefing on Sunday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“An argument broke out between them, stones were pelted and their rooms were vandalised by the people who came from outside.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">He added that a complaint has been received against 20-25 people and one of the accused has been identified. Nine teams have been formed to investigate the incident, he said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">India’s External Affairs Ministry said on X that the state government is “taking strict action against the perpetrators”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Two foreign students were injured in the clash. One of them has been discharged from hospital after receiving medical attention,” spokesman Randhit Jaiswal said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Asaduddin Owaisi, a member of parliament from the southern city of Hyderabad, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to “intervene to send a strong message?”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“What a shame. When your devotion and religious slogans only come out when Muslims peacefully practice their religion,” he posted on X.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“Domestic anti-Muslim hatred is destroying India’s goodwill,” he wrote tagging S Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor Dr Neerja A Gupta told local media that the international students need to be trained in “cultural sensitivity”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“These are foreign students and when you go abroad, you must learn cultural sensitivity. These students need an orientation. We will sit with them, provide cultural orientation and discuss how to strengthen their security,” NDTV quoted Gupta as saying.</span></p><div><br /></div>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-50113386461394611652024-03-17T22:06:00.008+05:002024-03-18T02:22:11.321+05:00 Two people were shot dead for delay in payment of ransom in Rajanpur<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuz9BFOluGIDU6xth7sZ6nCzjngn_JupqXWcJAhFOMNZogk8fHi4Fl4z6JZk8vEwWyUXqlKFJKImzSIqXmrLHQ01IPjmoOHw1NNbkunHKBMqs_Zy3nhHXwdQH2oQPVu3VXQUD7ZATjfD95vR1prps91axeabBBU8gxGNEmUsmXv0-eLgTmnBHWJK5mDY/s700/katcha.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="700" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuz9BFOluGIDU6xth7sZ6nCzjngn_JupqXWcJAhFOMNZogk8fHi4Fl4z6JZk8vEwWyUXqlKFJKImzSIqXmrLHQ01IPjmoOHw1NNbkunHKBMqs_Zy3nhHXwdQH2oQPVu3VXQUD7ZATjfD95vR1prps91axeabBBU8gxGNEmUsmXv0-eLgTmnBHWJK5mDY/s320/katcha.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bandits killed two hostages for delay in payment of ransom and resistance on Sunday in riverian area of Indus belt in Rajanpur district.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">According to the police, the two residents of Rahim Yar Khan who were mason cum contractor by profession were abducted 13 days ago on the pretext of building a roof.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The robbers killed the two hostages for delay in payment and resistance and took their bodies to the river, the body of one hostage Ahsan has been recovered while the other hostage Shahzad has not been found yet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The funeral prayer of deceased Ahsan, a resident of Rahim Yar Khan, was performed under the leadership of Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haque.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">A large number of citizens including political and social personalities participated in the funeral prayer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">On this occasion, Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq said that the kidnapping and then killing of 2 people is a question mark on the performance of the institutions, the people have been abandoned.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Siraj-ul-Haq also went to the house of deceased Ahsan and met his heirs and children and offered condolences.</span></p><p><br /></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-43573496762075182452024-03-17T22:00:00.001+05:002024-03-17T22:00:05.861+05:00Alleged ‘forgery’ in election results could lead to ‘extreme disorder’: PTI’s Raoof Hasan<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, ui-serif, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0j6b7p1lxlp5ha5tDNceH6TL7IGEsDB3785Usc2HGOvM-ISCnYpU2wKxnwp-JqLfgfxRgx63uCbkTofKmIyacimwj2KoMTwrqUDq73RxNeh-OEINZRTTs5jKUCUW5iJ5cb50wwz8qDkMXaMQuoSMw1ooBVQ49BadVE4b7q8j0nLfUZb9neIX0aewFPw/s500/hassan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="500" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0j6b7p1lxlp5ha5tDNceH6TL7IGEsDB3785Usc2HGOvM-ISCnYpU2wKxnwp-JqLfgfxRgx63uCbkTofKmIyacimwj2KoMTwrqUDq73RxNeh-OEINZRTTs5jKUCUW5iJ5cb50wwz8qDkMXaMQuoSMw1ooBVQ49BadVE4b7q8j0nLfUZb9neIX0aewFPw/s320/hassan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>PTI leader Raoof Hasan has said there is absolute clarity in Imran Khan’s thinking regarding party policies, adding that he did not believe in any conspiracy theories about the party.<p></p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, ui-serif, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px auto 1rem;">While speaking to <em style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Geo News</em>, Raoof said that the miscommunication was caused by PTI leaders’ inability to meet Imran in Adiala Jail.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, ui-serif, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px auto 1rem;">“We have raised these complaints in front of the courts, the courts have given their orders [to allow PTI leaders to meet Imran], but the jail administration does not follow those orders,” he said.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, ui-serif, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px auto 1rem;">He stated that there was absolute clarity in Imran’s thinking, however, the restrictions to the party’s movement in meeting Imran creates a “vacuum” which is then exploited to confuse.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, ui-serif, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px auto 1rem;">“I am not the one to go for conspiracy theories,” he said, adding that the party has taken notice of the incidents.Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza has said that escalating criticism in the media by PTI leaders on the party’s decision to join SIC will make Imran Khan “suffer more than anyone”.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, ui-serif, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px auto 1rem;">In an appearance on <em style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Dawn News</em> show <em style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Doosra Rukh</em>, Raza said that hitting out at the PTI-SIC alliance in public would benefit the current government more and that he “would not want in any situation to discuss internal affairs in public”.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, ui-serif, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0px auto 1rem;">“The discipline of the party will also be compromised and our attention will also be diverted from Imran Khan’s cases,” he said, adding that he had not yet met the jailed PTI founder as his name had not been cleared by jail authorities for a meeting.</p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-19824891522956940182024-03-17T13:55:00.002+05:002024-03-17T13:55:31.177+05:00 21 dead in bus collision with tanker in Afghanistan: provincial official<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAtrK0Fu-oJO4rX_fpjl2jWHluU4AL9ujaHEDBuqymOzWBrVfjXZRSLnMq3r-y8LcVLIZpkzLT8_dFyOZ9D69A5tQ-yQAS5b86-0PFIn7AC2TPswEdwTwGzrUKJlQ8JpbL-MxgOfBJANfUifdO9aiSwePTsrjOKVjHA1SezloC8KeCUtfQVaS6inbGY4/s299/takkar.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAtrK0Fu-oJO4rX_fpjl2jWHluU4AL9ujaHEDBuqymOzWBrVfjXZRSLnMq3r-y8LcVLIZpkzLT8_dFyOZ9D69A5tQ-yQAS5b86-0PFIn7AC2TPswEdwTwGzrUKJlQ8JpbL-MxgOfBJANfUifdO9aiSwePTsrjOKVjHA1SezloC8KeCUtfQVaS6inbGY4/w400-h225/takkar.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Twenty-one people were killed and 38 injured in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province on Sunday when a bus collided with an oil tanker and a motorbike, a provincial official said.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">"Early in the morning today, based on the information we have received so far, 21 people were killed" in an accident "between a passenger bus, a tanker and a motorbike", the provincial governor's spokesman Mohammad Qasim Riyaz told AFP.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Another 38 people were injured in the collision, the provincial information department said, updating an initial tally of 11 provided by Riyaz.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqa_7mPd57qH0XkN0f_apJP4d6u9ZLu5KpidVusx3p-3nLEyv5rLRoCEGkO3kI9IfV-yTzRF5g3z2RcERaKN0YzPBfL8rDPCV9HlDBRQZ4GuFin1tlB7sTU_8biMFBGr1JykIC0kCVgdlLo9f7uaA5AF_niiTZ_8efmcmLV9aty_vC_6ZSch4sKroLWD4/s262/bus-0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="262" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqa_7mPd57qH0XkN0f_apJP4d6u9ZLu5KpidVusx3p-3nLEyv5rLRoCEGkO3kI9IfV-yTzRF5g3z2RcERaKN0YzPBfL8rDPCV9HlDBRQZ4GuFin1tlB7sTU_8biMFBGr1JykIC0kCVgdlLo9f7uaA5AF_niiTZ_8efmcmLV9aty_vC_6ZSch4sKroLWD4/s1600/bus-0.jpeg" width="262" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The collision caused the vehicles to ignite, with images shared by the Helmand information department on social media showing charred, twisted metal and the crushed cabin of the tanker.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The accident took place early Sunday morning on a main highway between the capital Kabul and northern Herat city in the Grishk district of Helmand.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Deadly traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, due in part to poor roads, dangerous driving on highways and lack of regulation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In December 2022, an oil tanker overturned and caught fire in Afghanistan's high-altitude Salang pass, killing 31 people and leaving dozens more with burn injuries.</span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-91997195320176275392024-03-17T12:34:00.002+05:002024-03-17T12:34:09.071+05:00Germany calls for large-scale aid access to Gaza as Scholz heads to Israel<p><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7; font-family: "playfair display", serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxhqKEWg_SFVeXpUThaIIwUeRBKUKDCxfGrhKvNDNCYeaaWVbEtsdA8UqfpUFMT69GRiNcIqgn8SAsx1t-zlg7LSks3Sr6eRk5gHXtnAEp-GP6zUN7SpFusWmjiLmZrdmCctC6uNaFXuWDYWp-rzhKsR4vcX6otsatqfwwviN2wUeXl6SNeIZYaWpWvc/s284/scholz.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxhqKEWg_SFVeXpUThaIIwUeRBKUKDCxfGrhKvNDNCYeaaWVbEtsdA8UqfpUFMT69GRiNcIqgn8SAsx1t-zlg7LSks3Sr6eRk5gHXtnAEp-GP6zUN7SpFusWmjiLmZrdmCctC6uNaFXuWDYWp-rzhKsR4vcX6otsatqfwwviN2wUeXl6SNeIZYaWpWvc/s1600/scholz.jpeg" width="284" /></a></div>German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Israel on Saturday to allow humanitarian aid access to Gaza on a larger scale, ahead of a two-day trip to the Middle East.<p></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "playfair display", serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Scholz will travel to the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba on Saturday to meet on Sunday with Jordan’s King Abdullah before flying on to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />“It is necessary for aid to reach Gaza on a larger scale now. That will be a topic that I also have to talk about,” Scholz told journalists ahead of his trip.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />He also voiced concern about Israel’s planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than half the Palestinian’s enclave’s population of 2.3 million have taken shelter.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />“There is a danger that a comprehensive offensive in Rafah will result in many terrible civilian casualties, which must be strictly prohibited,” he added.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Germany’s air force said it dropped pallets with four tons of relief goods by air into the enclave on Saturday.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />“Every package counts. But airdrops are just a drop in the ocean,” the foreign ministry said on the social media platform X.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" />Israel’s air and ground campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, has displaced most of the population and left people in dire need of food and other essentials.</p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">A second cargo of food aid was ready to depart by sea from Cyprus to Gaza on Saturday, the island’s president said, after a first aid shipment landed in the besieged Palestinian enclave overnight.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Almost 200 tons of food arrived in the enclave late on Friday, the first shipment in a new aid route to the Gaza Strip, devastated by five months of war.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“The first ship has started its return to Cyprus, and we are ready to dispatch the second ship,” Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides told journalists.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">The second ship, with 240 tons of aid, was moored at Larnaca port awaiting a signal to sail.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Update from Cyprus WCK’s Trish is at the port in Larnaca where final preparations are underway for our next shipment of aid to sail to Gaza. The crew is boarding the support vessel that will accompany the aid and oversee the technical offloading process.#ChefsForThePeople pic.twitter.com/ODXTQ3LgR0</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), which arranged the mission with the UAE and Spanish charity Open Arms with support from the Cypriot government, said the new shipment included pallets of canned goods and bulk products.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">WCK said the second boat also had two forklifts and a crane to assist with future maritime deliveries to Gaza. A crew ship would accompany the cargo boat with eight workers to operate the machinery and offload the aid, it said. In the first mission, the charity offloaded aid onto a makeshift jetty WCK built from the rubble of destroyed buildings.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Hopefully, this corridor we open today will be a pathway alongside the terrestrial ones to alleviate hunger, relieve suffering, and restore humanity to the civilian population,” Open Arms, which provided the ship, said on Friday on X.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">The main UN agency operating in Gaza said on Saturday that one in three children under age 2 in northern Gaza is now acutely malnourished and famine is looming.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: playfair display, serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Israel’s air and ground campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, has displaced most of the enclave’s 2.3 million population and left people in dire need of food and other essentials. (Reporting by Stamos Prousalis, Yiannis Kourtoglou and Michele Kambas Editing by Frances Kerry)</span></span></p><p style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "playfair display", serif, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"> </p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-53956726639271356242024-03-17T04:56:00.001+05:002024-03-17T04:56:10.136+05:00‘Islamophobia growing under Hindutva ideology’-Hindutva thy name is hatred<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUhV4auYD9OuKwWjFaHEJQDiT-upLDcgqHh8Rt3pGrT0Zocwo-xRK_1RE1Yb7MzZop70x50utvwFJXoeTvuGUQZST62EKdgKOBKALRqZ9KoMLSn3bvLW7RU-0FRPL6827qbKhpZLPD3WqWuc9VoYgNgtVAM_NmTtjRkW-ypEQv3zKsmTjjh2mZ9J7hPM/s800/hindu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUhV4auYD9OuKwWjFaHEJQDiT-upLDcgqHh8Rt3pGrT0Zocwo-xRK_1RE1Yb7MzZop70x50utvwFJXoeTvuGUQZST62EKdgKOBKALRqZ9KoMLSn3bvLW7RU-0FRPL6827qbKhpZLPD3WqWuc9VoYgNgtVAM_NmTtjRkW-ypEQv3zKsmTjjh2mZ9J7hPM/s320/hindu.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Islamophobia was not just prevalent in some Western countries but in non-Western parts of the world as well, including in Pakistan’s neighbourhood where it was growing in the wake of the ‘Hindutva’ ideology, said Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad Director General Sohail Mahmood on Friday.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In his welcoming remarks at a Roundtable Discussion titled, "Importance of Global Solidarity to Combat Islamophobia", he talked about the evolution and myriad manifestations of Islamophobia in recent decades.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The discussion was held to commemorate the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. Centre for Strategic Perspectives (CSP) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted a talk, bringing to the fore a global dialogue aimed at addressing the prejudices, intolerance, violence and injustices faced by Muslims worldwide.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Council of the Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz was the chief guest while ambassadors of Iran and Turkiye and noted academic and senior foreign office official joined as panellists.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Sohail Mahmood talked about the journey since the March 2019 Christchurch terrorist attacks in New Zealand, highlighting the pivotal moments and global actions, including Pakistan’s leading role in the OIC and the UN General Assembly, culminating in the designation of March 15 as the ‘International Day to Combat Islamophobia.’</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Noting that the world was experiencing extreme levels of tumult, he stressed that this was the time to build bridges, not to accentuate religious or cultural fault-lines or create further divisions. People of goodwill in all faiths should come forward and play their part in forging greater mutual respect, understanding, and inter-faith harmony, he added.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In her introductory remarks, Dr Neelum Nigar, Director CSP emphasised the importance of combating Islamophobia in contemporary times, which is marred by multiple global conflicts and issues.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A special video message by the Honourable Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) His Excellency Hissein Brahim Taha for the occasion was shared. The Secretary General emphasised the urgent need to combat and address the widespread prejudice and discrimination against Muslims globally and the importance of fostering a culture of tolerance, respect, and mutual understanding across different faiths and communities.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Dr Muhammad Israr Madani from the Islamic Research Council of Religious Affairs, provided a scholarly exposition on the multifaceted nature of Islamophobia, tracing its historical roots and present-day manifestations. His analytical insights into the contributing factors of Islamophobia, from media misrepresentation to the socio-political dynamics in Western countries, offered a comprehensive overview of the complexities involved.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Additional Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), delved into the political and legal dimensions of Islamophobia, advocating for a balanced approach between freedom of expression and respect for religious sentiments. His call for utilising international human rights frameworks as a common ground for dialogue and action resonated with the audience, highlighting the significance of diplomacy and legal recourse in combating Islamophobia.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">H.E. Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, enriched the discussion by contextualising Islamophobia within the broader historical and geopolitical narratives. His critique of Islamophobia as a tool for political manipulation and his call for unity among Muslim nations underscored the importance of solidarity and collective identity in overcoming adversities.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">H.E. Dr Mehmet Paçaci, Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan, pointed to the alarming rise of Islamophobia globally, especially in Western and certain non-Western countries including India. His discourse on the political misuse of Islamophobia and the urgent need for international accountability and cooperation offered a compelling call to action for both Muslim and non-Muslim countries to address this pressing issue.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Dr Qibla Ayaz delivered an illuminating address, providing deep historical insight into Islamophobia, and identifying its roots and evolution over the centuries. He recommended fostering a deeper understanding of Western cultures, promoting inter-faith dialogues, and the strategic use of media and academia to combat Islamophobia highlighting a path toward mutual respect and understanding.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">He stressed the importance of ‘working in the West’ on the one hand and developing a better understanding of the West within Muslim societies on the other hand. Dr Ayaz also underlined the need for “retrospection” – noting that extremist actions of individual Muslims or disrespect for the rights of minorities in Muslim countries would neither result in a better image nor help forge mutual understanding. In essence, he said he saw a ‘ray of hope’ and that, despite prevalent negativity and formidable challenges, collective action could help bring about positive change. </span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-90411171678608322172024-03-17T01:47:00.002+05:002024-03-17T01:47:07.790+05:00Al-Shabab fighters killed as overnight siege of Mogadishu hotel ends<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpP6cNXyNkaRAPV4KkHs1Yb084d8E08_vGW4tz_0IcL2lCq3vNJ8npdUoUBIyHPO82zsXJ37AZiXoKqtUEEtwVEQej1GuskrbTVdUKtIwXn25pFSU9y80y52xXCLnzi9yN0qr7pR1QLTKxx_lfXmJ6mUu-IGkQGgFyboRX1lT9CtPRhlstrPXiBh-LQw/s770/hoptel.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="770" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpP6cNXyNkaRAPV4KkHs1Yb084d8E08_vGW4tz_0IcL2lCq3vNJ8npdUoUBIyHPO82zsXJ37AZiXoKqtUEEtwVEQej1GuskrbTVdUKtIwXn25pFSU9y80y52xXCLnzi9yN0qr7pR1QLTKxx_lfXmJ6mUu-IGkQGgFyboRX1lT9CtPRhlstrPXiBh-LQw/s320/hoptel.webp" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A 13-hour siege of a popular hotel near government buildings in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has ended after the al-Shabab fighters who had taken control of the building were killed by security forces.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“All the terrorist gunmen were killed, and the situation has returned to normal now,” police officer Abdirahim Yusuf told the Agence France-Presse news agency on Friday. “The security forces are carrying out a thorough clearance and investigations.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Reuters news agency reported that three soldiers were killed in clashes, with 27 people wounded. It was not immediately clear how many fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked group were killed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Fighters had stormed the SYL Hotel in a hail of bullets late on Thursday, and al-Shabab claimed responsibility in a brief statement.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The attack on the hotel, popular with government officials, demonstrated the group’s continued ability to strike the capital despite a major military offensive by the internationally backed federal government and local clan militias, supported by an African Union (AU) mission and United States air strikes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As part of the attack, a suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives in front of the hotel, killing at least five people, the German Press Agency dpa reported.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“As far as we know, one terrorist, three hotel security officers and two members of the security services were killed in the attack,” police spokesman Qasim Ahmed Roble said on Friday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Omar Mahmood, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said it was a “highly significant attack that shatters a sense of calm in Mogadishu”.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“It also serves as a signal from al-Shabab that despite much heralded efforts by this government to weaken them, the group remains active and resilient and even able to hit the government close to home,” Mahmood added.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The SYL Hotel has been the target of several al-Shabab attacks despite being in a high-security area of the city due to its location opposite the presidential palace.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Somali security officers take position on the rooftop at a section of Syl Hotel, the scene of an al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group's attack in Mogadishu, Somalia</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Somali security officers take positions on the rooftop at a section of the SYL Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on March 15, 2024 [Feisal Omar/Reuters]</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Al-Shabab has been waging war against the Somali government for more than 16 years.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The armed group was born out of Somalia’s many years of anarchy after a 1991 civil war. Over time, an AU-led force with the backing of the US and other countries pushed the group out of Mogadishu.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Since then, al-Shabab has been battling the government and the AU-mandated peacekeeping mission as it seeks to establish a new administration based on its interpretation of Islamic law.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It retains a strong presence in rural Somalia and has carried out numerous attacks against political, security and civilian targets, including in Mogadishu.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In August 2022, 21 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a 30-hour siege on the Hayat Hotel in the capital. Two months later, 100 people were killed and 300 were wounded in twin car bombings in Mogadishu.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In February this year, at least 10 people were killed in multiple attacks in a crowded market in Mogadishu.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">That same month, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on the General Gordon military base in Mogadishu, which killed several people, including four Emirati soldiers and a Bahraini military officer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Al-Shabab sees the United Arab Emirates as an “enemy” of Islamic law for backing the Somali government in battling the armed group.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It has also carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya in retaliation for Nairobi’s provision of troops and material to the AU force in Somalia.</span></p><div><br /></div>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-60712949352616348782024-03-17T01:38:00.003+05:002024-03-17T01:38:16.796+05:00Sixteen Nigerian soldiers killed in attack in Delta state<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ca1wBFlLfXY7WJx7FLHI8TDV8YB6zltkU_9jsble5hQ3srhiHyY3eMsjH2hxWpJSY65nX_v9kMvmibBtdLsQQfdO_nF7S9ZuGquBjdzDPDaTuYpCDsIwTKuJwze-zyqKeQSWHGD_3acSXJR6UlJo2f8eVojOLwIHHtxmDON2JqcaM0FjhKSSuvNeFdg/s311/niger.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="311" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ca1wBFlLfXY7WJx7FLHI8TDV8YB6zltkU_9jsble5hQ3srhiHyY3eMsjH2hxWpJSY65nX_v9kMvmibBtdLsQQfdO_nF7S9ZuGquBjdzDPDaTuYpCDsIwTKuJwze-zyqKeQSWHGD_3acSXJR6UlJo2f8eVojOLwIHHtxmDON2JqcaM0FjhKSSuvNeFdg/w400-h208/niger.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Sixteen Nigerian soldiers have been killed on a mission to halt clashes between two communities in the southern state of Delta, an army spokesperson said.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The troops from the 181 Amphibious Battalion deployed in the Bomadi region, had responded to the conflict in the Okuoma community when they were killed on Thursday, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau said in a statement on Saturday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The reinforcement team led by the commanding officer was also attacked, leading to the death of the commanding officer, two majors, one captain and 12 soldiers,” he said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The chief of defence has also directed an immediate investigation and the arrest of those involved, according to Gusau.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“So far, a few arrests have been made while steps [are] in place to unravel the motive behind the attack,” he added.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There are frequent clashes, sometimes deadly, over land or compensation for oil spills by energy companies in many Delta state communities.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Moreover, conflict has also continued to roil Nigeria’s northern and central regions, where armed groups are active and government forces have been accused of committing abuses.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Earlier this year, at least 30 people were killed in renewed violence in Nigeria’s central Plateau State, where clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farming communities have erupted for years.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The state lies in the Middle Belt, a region seen as the dividing line between Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. Inter-communal violence has been common in the region, which is home to dozens of ethnic minorities, such as the Mwaghavul.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Clashes in the region and the northwest are rooted in community tensions over land between nomadic herders and Indigenous farmers, but exacerbated by the effects of climate change and population rise in the region.</span></p><div><br /></div>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-14476685084915095932024-03-16T20:15:00.006+05:002024-03-16T20:16:24.269+05:00Jalaluddin Roomi foundation signed MoU with NM University to facilitate the diabetic patients<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQ-6b3ws2VeM1iLW_nhyphenhyphenqTzRHG6RJbji_RtBGKblei7wxuxYkroAeXSCK6v36dS8kzlLVi09ViW2ltcTcWfY84x-DjQMs89OMIc2Z8LwdjUcNb8VizIp2VhSdSMgASUwDT6HPovujY9tT1mNXYkRFfDFygtjjAZX71KPWqWlGpTr9BGtCBBJybnmQjd0/s1600/roomi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQ-6b3ws2VeM1iLW_nhyphenhyphenqTzRHG6RJbji_RtBGKblei7wxuxYkroAeXSCK6v36dS8kzlLVi09ViW2ltcTcWfY84x-DjQMs89OMIc2Z8LwdjUcNb8VizIp2VhSdSMgASUwDT6HPovujY9tT1mNXYkRFfDFygtjjAZX71KPWqWlGpTr9BGtCBBJybnmQjd0/w640-h426/roomi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Multan.Well known industrialist and philanthropist, former President of Multan as well as Dera Ghazi Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry ,Chairman of jalaluddin roomi foundation ,Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding to provide free medicines and insulin to the increasing number of diabetic patients in South Punjab .<p></p><p>In this regard, an impressive ceremony was held at Nishtar Medical University in which the Chairman of Roomi Foundation Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi, Vice Chancellor of Nishtar Medical University Professor Dr. Mahnaz Khakwani and Principal of Nishtar Medical College Dr. Rashid Qamar Rao signed a memorandum of understanding and the ward has been named as Khawaja Muhammad Iqbal Diabetes Center. </p><p>The establishment of this center will promote the educational activities related to diabetes in Nishtar Medical University and provide free insulin and diabetes medicines to the deserving people who cannot afford to purchase costly medicines. Under this project, it has been decided between Jalaluddin Roomi Foundation and Nishtar Hospital administration that Hospital Administration will form a committee in this regard which will regularly register such patients and provide them with free medicines. </p><p>Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi Foundation will provide medicines and insulin to 250 diabetic patients registered in Nishtar Hospital Multan for their treatment at initial stage. For which the retired senior professors of medicine of Nishtar Hospital will be included in this board to ensure the supply of insulin and diabetes medicines to the poor patients with their consultation. Jalauddin Roomi foundation will enter into direct contracts with the drug and insulin supply companies to ensure the supply of drugs and insulin to diabetic patients. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7vJuWmMJ0FDuqEWaU-esJgxG4M6HPqRPLOGOaM5C4rIAw0bAMBQm0BdsjMOgg6PLtc8iooW5_LKCVpZDZIDi1ATI7fTyLCbkIQ-UL8VskFkbFpxb9dRhV36Tmtc9pkuv58bbvBxAXL4FviodXO_MaVa6i6ldBdpPVYTQSHLKP3vMqjo7mr9hE8OPEZI/s1600/roomi0-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7vJuWmMJ0FDuqEWaU-esJgxG4M6HPqRPLOGOaM5C4rIAw0bAMBQm0BdsjMOgg6PLtc8iooW5_LKCVpZDZIDi1ATI7fTyLCbkIQ-UL8VskFkbFpxb9dRhV36Tmtc9pkuv58bbvBxAXL4FviodXO_MaVa6i6ldBdpPVYTQSHLKP3vMqjo7mr9hE8OPEZI/w400-h265/roomi0-.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It may be mentioned that Diasbetic patients are facing difficulties because medicines are not available on control price . Insulin is being sold in the black at Rs 1800 instead of actual price of Rs.600. The supply of diabetes medicines at the government level is not fully functional due to which the lives of diabetics were at stake. And for this noble purpose,<p></p><p> Khwaja Jalaluddin Roomi has decided to take this step to provide medicine to the increasing number of diabetic patients in South Punjab, so that the poor diabetics can benefit. By ensuring the supply of medicines to patients, their lives can be saved. This center will be run with the support of Vice Chancellor Nishtar Medical University Prof. Dr. Mehnaz Khakwani, Principal Nishtar Medical University Prof. Dr. Rashid Qamar Rao, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and Dr. Salahuddin Mehmood Rind.</p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-44316018411773602612024-03-16T17:33:00.002+05:002024-03-16T17:33:11.001+05:00Senior Doctors come to the rescue of striking Doctors in South Korea<p><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvX7IpXYyqCvgZN8k77wz4YW05303wWABkWJbVpNXM_-G4eaJWo7CF5XZfEv01v3QQdtYFvLEzm9d_ivARKAwsBFx-cG0TeUQ2CFESZQagz3X0c6LqIt9nKkXMvzmwEDBQCfHn_IpEodkwLyjaeIGla2OahsGnh2rXvaKMdoQIeHiRQ72JZuH2mxERxs/s670/docs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="670" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvX7IpXYyqCvgZN8k77wz4YW05303wWABkWJbVpNXM_-G4eaJWo7CF5XZfEv01v3QQdtYFvLEzm9d_ivARKAwsBFx-cG0TeUQ2CFESZQagz3X0c6LqIt9nKkXMvzmwEDBQCfHn_IpEodkwLyjaeIGla2OahsGnh2rXvaKMdoQIeHiRQ72JZuH2mxERxs/s320/docs.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A group of South Korean senior doctors said Saturday that they would resign starting March 25 in support of junior medics in a nearly month-long strike over government training reforms that has plunged hospitals into chaos. Government has warned that it would suspend the licences of 4900 striking doctors</span><p></p><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Thousands of trainee doctors stopped working on February 20 to protest government reforms aimed at easing doctor shortages by increasing the number of medical students — which the medics claim is the final straw for overworked and underpaid early career professionals.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Crucial surgeries and treatments have been canceled, but the government says the country has so far avoided a full-blown crisis thanks in part to nurses and senior doctors stepping up, as well as military medics who have been sent in to help.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Representatives of medical professors at 20 universities — who are also senior doctors at general hospitals — held a meeting late Friday, with those at 16 institutions “overwhelmingly in favor” of supporting their junior colleagues, said Bang Jae-seung, the head of the group.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Professors at “each university have decided to voluntarily submit resignation letters starting from March 25th,” Bang told reporters Saturday.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">But “we have reached a consensus that until the resignation is finalized, each individual should do their best in the treatment of patients in their respective positions, just as they have done so far,” he added.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Bang did not disclose the exact number of professors expected to walk off the job on March 25th.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">The health ministry this week reiterated that negotiations over the reform plans were out of the question, saying it would implement the health care reforms “without wavering.”</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">The government has ordered junior medics to return or face legal action, and has moved to suspend the medical licenses of those who refuse to comply, while offering incentives and setting up a hotline to support any who defy the walkout.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Seoul is pushing to admit 2,000 more students to medical schools annually from next year to address what it says is one of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios among developed nations.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Bang said Saturday that doctors cannot agree to an increase of 2,000 more students under any circumstances.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">“We request the government once again. Please reconsider the figure of 2,000. Without this, initiating any negotiation will be impossible,” he said.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">“If the current situation continues, it won’t be long before university hospitals collapse, dealing a significant and long-lasting blow to our country’s medical system,” he added.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Doctors say they fear the reform will erode the quality of service and medical education, but proponents of the plan accuse them of trying to safeguard their salaries and social status.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">This week, the junior doctors said they had submitted a “letter requesting emergency intervention” from the International Labour Organization (ILO), claiming they were being “forced” by the government into unwanted labor. The government has dismissed the claim.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">The reform plan enjoys broad public support, but a new poll by local media found 34 percent of people wanted the government to negotiate to end the standoff.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">A group of South Korean senior doctors said Saturday that they would resign starting March 25 in support of junior medics in a nearly month-long strike over government training reforms that has plunged hospitals into chaos.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Thousands of trainee doctors stopped working on February 20 to protest government reforms aimed at easing doctor shortages by increasing the number of medical students — which the medics claim is the final straw for overworked and underpaid early career professionals.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Crucial surgeries and treatments have been canceled, but the government says the country has so far avoided a full-blown crisis thanks in part to nurses and senior doctors stepping up, as well as military medics who have been sent in to help.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Representatives of medical professors at 20 universities — who are also senior doctors at general hospitals — held a meeting late Friday, with those at 16 institutions “overwhelmingly in favor” of supporting their junior colleagues, said Bang Jae-seung, the head of the group.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Professors at “each university have decided to voluntarily submit resignation letters starting from March 25th,” Bang told reporters Saturday.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">But “we have reached a consensus that until the resignation is finalized, each individual should do their best in the treatment of patients in their respective positions, just as they have done so far,” he added.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Bang did not disclose the exact number of professors expected to walk off the job on March 25th.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">The health ministry this week reiterated that negotiations over the reform plans were out of the question, saying it would implement the health care reforms “without wavering.”</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">The government has ordered junior medics to return or face legal action, and has moved to suspend the medical licenses of those who refuse to comply, while offering incentives and setting up a hotline to support any who defy the walkout.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Seoul is pushing to admit 2,000 more students to medical schools annually from next year to address what it says is one of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios among developed nations.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Bang said Saturday that doctors cannot agree to an increase of 2,000 more students under any circumstances.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">“We request the government once again. Please reconsider the figure of 2,000. Without this, initiating any negotiation will be impossible,” he said.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">“If the current situation continues, it won’t be long before university hospitals collapse, dealing a significant and long-lasting blow to our country’s medical system,” he added.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Doctors say they fear the reform will erode the quality of service and medical education, but proponents of the plan accuse them of trying to safeguard their salaries and social status.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">This week, the junior doctors said they had submitted a “letter requesting emergency intervention” from the International Labour Organization (ILO), claiming they were being “forced” by the government into unwanted labor. The government has dismissed the claim.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">The reform plan enjoys broad public support, but a new poll by local media found 34 percent of people wanted the government to negotiate to end the standoff.</span></span></div>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-27129468940163671992024-03-16T17:25:00.001+05:002024-03-16T17:25:31.636+05:00Indian navy intercepts Somali pirates on cargo ship Ruen<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdRIIvhsJaLTWreKxgF6sitE95XGSMg9t-qMVH04phWMqDYHRxf5F9PUUA5kw7To1tsM6XrXj0Kd6a7ek3vogpnxd7wp1WtwbhumvVernesukSTMGwTB0wTId0mvnwpxAYIFSomyA-u57xdItBQ8FBLWRTPTjgQGtmGJ0HCNbKVkzlquw3_qIcLG8Khg/s670/ruen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="670" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdRIIvhsJaLTWreKxgF6sitE95XGSMg9t-qMVH04phWMqDYHRxf5F9PUUA5kw7To1tsM6XrXj0Kd6a7ek3vogpnxd7wp1WtwbhumvVernesukSTMGwTB0wTId0mvnwpxAYIFSomyA-u57xdItBQ8FBLWRTPTjgQGtmGJ0HCNbKVkzlquw3_qIcLG8Khg/s320/ruen.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">An Indian navy warship has intercepted the hijacked the cargo ship Ruen and demanded the Somali pirates on board surrender, a navy spokesperson said on Saturday.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The pirates who allegedly hijacked the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo vessel on Dec. 14 opened fire on the navy ship in international waters on Friday, the spokesperson said without providing further details.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The navy had called on the pirates to surrender and release the vessel and any civilians they may be holding.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Somali pirates who seized the vessel in December may have used it in the takeover of a Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia this week, the European Union naval force said on Thursday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Until the Ruen was seized, there head been no successful hijacking of a merchant ship by Somali pirates since 2017.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">At least 17 incidents of hijacking, attempted hijacking or suspicious approaches have been recorded by the Indian navy since December, Indian officials have said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">India deployed at least a dozen warships east of the Red Sea in January to provide security against pirates and has investigated more than 250 vessels.</span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-52202209296488791082024-03-16T15:39:00.004+05:002024-03-16T15:39:11.938+05:00Seven Pak army soldiers martyred in North Waziristan terror attack<p><span style="background-color: #fefbf7; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bolder;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4l0ChUmyV0BK_uQkOrygUiuUroJgswucdg8ltuMnbXvvsqHWRDkdQKB0ngJQ5L8jy_9zW6cGjg2hrKasc_lnFT-KmGX9rfecNB72b3yrlXcPwxez9ZIAphMMWHmUuCMpOtBMTmNl5TfY0lqI-vGD9u7Yq9ERSgxNccltntPsrOe1z-DWT05c5qQjzWM/s243/sold.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="208" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4l0ChUmyV0BK_uQkOrygUiuUroJgswucdg8ltuMnbXvvsqHWRDkdQKB0ngJQ5L8jy_9zW6cGjg2hrKasc_lnFT-KmGX9rfecNB72b3yrlXcPwxez9ZIAphMMWHmUuCMpOtBMTmNl5TfY0lqI-vGD9u7Yq9ERSgxNccltntPsrOe1z-DWT05c5qQjzWM/w342-h400/sold.jpeg" width="342" /></a></div>At least seven Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom on Saturday after terrorists attacked a security forces’ post in the general area Mir Ali of North Waziristan District,<span style="background-color: #fefbf7; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bolder;"> <i>ISPR says</i></span><p></p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement today said that a group of six terrorists attacked the post in the early hours of Saturday, with Pakistani troops foiling their initial attempt of intrusion before they rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by multiple suicide bombing attacks.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The attacks led to collapse of portion of a building, resulting into the martyrdom of the soldiers.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The statement said that in the clearance operation led by Lieutenant Colonel Kashif, six terrorists were killed.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">However, during an intense exchange of fire with the terrorists, the colonel as well as Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar were martyred.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The martyred also included Havildar Sabir from District Khyber, Naik Khurshid from District Lakki Marwat, Sepoy Nasir from of District Peshawar, Sepoy Raja from District Kohat and Sepoy Sajjad who was a resident of District Abbotabad.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">“Sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist present in the area,” the ISPR said.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The press release reaffirmed the commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and said such sacrifices of brave soldiers further strengthen their resolve.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Last week, at least 10 terrorists were killed in <a href="https://www.brecorder.com/news/40292814" style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b55b22; font-family: inherit;">two separate operations</a> by the security forces in North Waziristan district.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">On March 8, security personnel carried out an intelligence-based operation that resulted in the deaths of four terrorists.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgba(147,197,253,0.5); --tw-ring-inset: var(--tw-empty,/*!*/ /*!*/); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; background-color: #fefbf7; border-color: var(--gray-200,#e5e7eb); border-image: initial; border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Additionally, during a follow-up sanitization operation, four more terrorists were slain by security forces.</p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-39474134186864108672024-03-16T15:31:00.004+05:002024-03-16T15:31:56.515+05:0022 migrants including seve children drowned as boat sinks<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl59mnirx6_dXVGzRMUKPcI77ziD_-nghvI-4813pIsNvjTxKZ3mhRK6eTVgIejKKZqbB5WGquplrA8n9psD66TM26I3VyORB-drjejuJh498OThkpU2o1jg7EjAXd8VHvUhY7PzfwMM_kB7cpCsyifMiq-qGSNeBak4xgyGOT9PvhsgzOEQCdn94naY/s1300/boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1300" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl59mnirx6_dXVGzRMUKPcI77ziD_-nghvI-4813pIsNvjTxKZ3mhRK6eTVgIejKKZqbB5WGquplrA8n9psD66TM26I3VyORB-drjejuJh498OThkpU2o1jg7EjAXd8VHvUhY7PzfwMM_kB7cpCsyifMiq-qGSNeBak4xgyGOT9PvhsgzOEQCdn94naY/w400-h286/boat.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Twenty-two migrants including seven children have drowned after a boat capsized off the Turkish coast, local officials said yesterday. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Two people were rescued by the Turkish coastguard and another two managed to make it out of the water on their own, officials said. The victims' nationalities were not yet known.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Google News LinkFor all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The boat capsized off Turkey's largest island, called Gokceada or Imbros, which is located in the Aegean Sea off the coast of the northwestern province of Canakkale, near Greece's Lemnos island.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">"The Turkish coastguard found the bodies of 22 people including seven children," the local governor's office said in a statement.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The search and rescue operation was backed by one airplane, two helicopters, a drone, 18 boats and 502 personnel, it added.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Turkey is hosting nearly four million refugees, mostly Syrians.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Many migrants try to reach the Greek islands from Turkey's western coasts hoping to eventually reach prosperous European Union countries, with many dying in the perilous sea crossing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There has been an increase in migrant crossing attempts in the waters between Turkey and Greece in recent weeks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Turkish coastguard indicated that it had rescued or intercepted several hundred migrants, including children, attempting to cross to Greece since the start of the week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The EU border agency Frontex said this week that the number of irregular border crossings into the bloc in the first two months of this year reached 31,200 -- similar to the level from a year ago, according to preliminary calculations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In the eastern Mediterranean, the second most active migratory route after the Western African route, the number of detections more than doubled to 9,150 in the first two months of the year, it said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Mediterranean Sea has for several years been the centre of migrant flows from Africa and the Middle East to Europe.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The influx peaked in 2015 as migrants, many fleeing the Mideast upheaval caused by Syrian civil war, sought refuge in Europe.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Turkey struck a deal with the European Union in 2016 to curb the number of arrivals to the EU in return for financial assistance and other incentives. </span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-34363745682245792022024-03-16T15:17:00.002+05:002024-03-16T15:17:43.582+05:0014-year-old Arizona girl on her way home from school narrowly escapes attempted kidnapping<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6M-uwG96JQyTfFTVrLKummMicIn461MKctCwGp9rQauZoYwO4mjOJ8yPhRM75stLyEPcDTdgsPYFIg48D6QbyRR4NRZO2xX4AlSYhiZk3vlLRuBaojuvAtzsp8DJPcHbTCPd5-DXwVZKlNkXkeOUFY-O9FeC2q5ZtlOja4E5j2fZiXAnmht3GjIgrUU/s800/kid.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6M-uwG96JQyTfFTVrLKummMicIn461MKctCwGp9rQauZoYwO4mjOJ8yPhRM75stLyEPcDTdgsPYFIg48D6QbyRR4NRZO2xX4AlSYhiZk3vlLRuBaojuvAtzsp8DJPcHbTCPd5-DXwVZKlNkXkeOUFY-O9FeC2q5ZtlOja4E5j2fZiXAnmht3GjIgrUU/s320/kid.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Police in Glendale, Arizona, said a man was arrested for alleged attempted abduction after he stopped his car and followed a 14-year-old girl on her way home from school on March 6.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Glendale girl walking home from school appeared to have sensed the danger.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">So proud of our @GlendaleAZPD officers and detectives for apprehending ANOTHER suspect, Timothy Guan, who was booked for attempting to kidnap a young girl 👍🏻 .Poor girl ran for her life!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Timothy Guan, 28, was arrested on suspicion of attempted abduction, aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The teen called her mom when the incident happened. That’s when the mother told her daughter to hang up and call the police.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The victim as she was walking home around 1 pm noticed a car pull up next to her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A man came out of the car and began following her. The victim sensed the danger and ran for safety until she found a resident walking their dog, who helped her contact Glendale Police, Glendale PD said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Surveillance footage was obtained and detectives were able to locate the suspect after piecing together information from the videos.</span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-55704366386847494292024-03-16T14:59:00.002+05:002024-03-16T14:59:36.254+05:00DSP & a Tribal elder killed in two attacks in Sibi and Bajaur<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2pGcWa0ZNdiL1vPGZn5GnEcCYxK2laV52SF-1sMcRxrPGnVBhBdFFSyD_yhgzdwl86GM2d8_Qg9EhG5of61b4zQKya9cUUe074aOMp6gQR7GghkVYkFVDncKITjqt4Ezz6hO9HKR_vM0HsQuisYn0mDNMwaLSVTdVuvdHuith1Twl6J7S69XjaVx9bY/s276/Bajaur.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="276" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2pGcWa0ZNdiL1vPGZn5GnEcCYxK2laV52SF-1sMcRxrPGnVBhBdFFSyD_yhgzdwl86GM2d8_Qg9EhG5of61b4zQKya9cUUe074aOMp6gQR7GghkVYkFVDncKITjqt4Ezz6hO9HKR_vM0HsQuisYn0mDNMwaLSVTdVuvdHuith1Twl6J7S69XjaVx9bY/s1600/Bajaur.jpeg" width="276" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A senior police officer and a tribal elder were killed in two attacks in Sibi and Bajaur on Friday, according to officials.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Sibi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Khalid Zaman Marri was passing through the bazaar area in Sibi town when unknown assailants opened fire at his vehicle near the Chanak roundabout area.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The police officer got critically injured after receiving six bullets and was taken to the Combined Military Hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">One of the attackers was injured after the DSP’s security guard returned fire. He, along with other attackers, managed to flee but was caught by the police near Nishtar Road and shifted to the hospital.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Police officials said the motive behind the attack couldn’t be ascertained immediately, and no group has claimed responsibility.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“We are investigating the attack from all aspects,” Sibi SSP Inayatullah Bangulzai said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Three alleged militants gunned down in Lakki Marwat A senior police officer said DSP Marri had served as SP Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Sibi.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The victim was the elder brother of Mir Asghar Marri, who was the former district mayor of Sibi.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In Bajaur, a tribal elder was killed in a remote-controlled bomb explosion in the mountainous area of Barang tehsil.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">According to locals and police, the attack occurred in the Asil Targaoo locality at about 9:25am. The target was a tribal elder, Malik Lal Zareef.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The explosive device planted along the road went off when Mr Zareef, who was on foot, reached the spot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">They said that the 55-year-old victim was critically wounded and died before he could be moved to a hospital.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Police have confirmed the explosion and said an investigation has been launched to arrest the culprits. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A senior police official told Dawn that a team from the Barang police station has launched a search operation, but no arrests have been made so far.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The official added that police personnel have collected evidence from the crime scene.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Separately, three alleged militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Lakki Marwat, officials said on Friday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A district police official said that the CTD and security forces conducted a joint operation in a rural area of Lakki Marwat on the information about militants’ presence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“An intense fire exchange took place between security personnel and the militants,” the official said, adding that three alleged militants were gunned down.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">They have been identified as Zubair, a local militant commander; Faisal; and Jawad.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">They belonged to the Abdulkhel and Nawerkhel areas and were allegedly affiliated with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">According to the officials, the militants were involved in attacks on police and security forces, target killings and extortion. Ammunition and explosives were also recovered from their possession.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Following the gunfight, reinforcements arrived in the area, and a search was launched to capture the fleeing militants.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The militants’ presence in several rural localities, including the mountainous areas of Abdulkhel and Shah Hasankhel, is considered a constant threat to peace in the southern district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.</span></p>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-949454145819430215.post-72737650618680677712024-03-15T18:22:00.005+05:002024-03-15T18:22:43.545+05:00Aid supply ship from Cyprus reaches Gaza coast<p><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d-TFi5k_sx2LvXK_N7CE7qtFe0SmqVFxbSrK5G1fHq9EdRJf7RrqkrSBB2RIXO5uHrc926Whmey501eVWrcg897l-ukzbpGl63durNdikcjqSjuI_X2tytXt3Ybf3fwrVJIGIjHjUqRM75aOyj2Q3q2ts0M-SJZYQuaI3ajqNDnfjbrFr364i7PFJgA/s670/ship-aid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="670" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d-TFi5k_sx2LvXK_N7CE7qtFe0SmqVFxbSrK5G1fHq9EdRJf7RrqkrSBB2RIXO5uHrc926Whmey501eVWrcg897l-ukzbpGl63durNdikcjqSjuI_X2tytXt3Ybf3fwrVJIGIjHjUqRM75aOyj2Q3q2ts0M-SJZYQuaI3ajqNDnfjbrFr364i7PFJgA/s320/ship-aid.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A ship towing a barge loaded with food arrived off Gaza on Friday, witnesses said, as a test run for a new aid route by sea from Cyprus into the devastated Palestinian enclave where famine looms after five months of Israel’s military campaign.</span><p></p><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">The ship, arranged by the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity, is carrying nearly 200 tons of aid to be delivered via a jetty being prepared in Gaza, with a second ship expected to sail soon.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">There are few details on how the aid delivery and distribution will work once it is ready to unload in Gaza, with UN relief agencies having described huge obstacles to getting relief supplies to those in need.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">If the new sea route is successful, it may help to ease the hunger crisis affecting Gaza, where much of the population faces malnourishment and hospitals in the worst-stricken northern areas have reported children dying of starvation.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">However, bringing in aid by sea and through air drops will not be enough to make up for difficulties getting in supplies by land, aid agencies have repeatedly said.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters rampaged into Israel killing 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages according to Israeli tallies.</span><br style="background-color: #ecf0e7; box-sizing: inherit; content: ""; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" /><span style="background-color: #ecf0e7;">Israel’s air and ground campaign has since killed more than 31,000 Palestinians according to health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza, while driving most of the population from their homes and pushing the enclave toward famine.</span></span>southpunjabnews.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10765404536211117583noreply@blogger.com0