Pakistan News World

Clashes have erupted between rival Libyan militias in the centre of Libyan capital Tripoli, with the sound of gunfire echoing through the heavily populated part of the capital city threatening two years of relative peace following a ceasefire deal. The violence early on Saturday comes in the wake of a build-up of rival forces in Tripoli over the past week, who are jostling for power, as the North African country remains divided between rival administrations in the east and the west. The country’s democratic transition was delayed after the presidential elections scheduled for last December were postponed indefinitely. Tensions have risen after Fathi Bashagha, backed by the east-based parliament, was sworn in as prime minister in February, amid calls for Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the head of the transitional government based in Tripoli, to cede power. The United Nations had voiced concern after the Tobruk-based parliament voted to install Bashagha as prime minister. Unde...

Afghan refugees and migrants living in limbo at a United Arab Emirates (UAE) facility for nearly a year since being evacuated from Afghanistan held protests this week over what they say is a slow and opaque resettlement process. Hundreds of Afghans carried banners and shouted for freedom on Monday and Tuesday, two Afghans in the facility told Reuters, estimating that thousands were awaiting resettlement to the United States or other countries. Pictures and videos shared with Reuters showed children, women and men protesting inside the facility in Abu Dhabi, known as Emirates Humanitarian City, with temperatures in the Gulf Arab state reaching 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit). One boy held a small banner that read: “One year is enough!” Men and children chanting “we want justice” were seen in one video wearing white blindfolds inscribed with the word “freedom”. The men and some children had bound their wrists, in an apparent gesture to what some Afghans said are prison-like conditions ...

Western leaders on Tuesday warned Russia against annexing other parts of Ukrainian territory after Crimea amid rumours Russia is planning to do so in various occupied areas, while Washington warned that Russia could attack Ukrainian government facilities in the coming days as Moscow said it would show “no mercy” over an assassination it has blamed on Ukraine. The leaders sent video addresses to the Crimea Platform conference in Kyiv which was attended in person by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda. The Crimean peninsula was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014. Since February, Moscow has been using Crimea as a staging post for att­acks on Ukraine as well as “a testing ground for the brutal methods Russia is now applying across the other occupied parts of Ukraine,” Euro­pean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the conference. “Putin is planning to do to parts of Ukraine, indeed, to all of Ukraine, what he’s done to Crimea,” Br...

Artillery shells rained down on a city close to Europe’s biggest nuclear plant on Saturday night and Russian missiles hit targets near Odesa, a Ukrainian Black Sea port and a grain export hub, as the war headed for its six-month milestone on Aug 24. The day will also mark 31 years of Ukraine’s independence from Soviet rule and President Volodymyr Zele­nskiy in a nightly video address called for vigilance, saying Moscow could try “something particularly ugly”. As Ukraine prepared to mark its independence day embroiled in a war that has flattened towns and cities, killed thousands and forced millions to flee, military and regional officials reported more Russian strikes on targets in the east and south of the country. Of particular concern was the shelling of Nikopol, a city which lies across the Dnipro river from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s and Europe’s biggest nuclear plant. It has been held by Russian forces since March. Nikopol was shelled on five different occasions overnight, reg...

Thousands of people gathered at the Zulu royal palace in South Africa on Saturday for the coronation of a new king in the country’s richest and most influential traditional monarchy. Misuzulu Zulu, 47, is set to succeed his father, Goodwill Zwelithini, who died in March last year after 50 years in charge but a bitter succession dispute threatens to overshadow the ceremony. Although the title of king does not bestow executive power, the monarchs wield great moral influence over more than 11 million Zulus, who make up nearly a fifth of South Africa’s population. Men and women in colourful traditional outfits assembled outside the marble palace on the hills of Nongoma, a small town in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, the Zulu heartland. Tens of thousands more were expected to arrive throughout the day to honour the new sovereign. “Today the king will be acknowledged by the whole Zulu Nation,” Misuzulu’s sister, Princess Ntandoyesizwe Zulu, 46, said. Yet, an acrimonious fam...

North Korea imported more than 1 million facial masks and 15,000 pairs of rubber gloves from China in July, shortly before declaring victory over Covid-19, Chinese trade showed on Saturday. Pyongyang last week declared victory over the coronavirus, ending a little-detailed fight against “fever” cases that had risen to 4.77 million. It has registered no new such cases since July 29. Still, China exported 1.23 million facial masks to North Korea in July, worth $44,307, surging from 17,000 the previous month, according to data released by Chinese customs. From January to July, the last month for which data is available, the North bought more than 11.93 million masks from China, data showed. North Korea did not import any Covid-19 prevention and control products from China in May, the data showed. China’s overall exports to North Korea surged to $59.74 million in July from $19.05 million in June. Top exports were semi- or wholly milled rice, cigarettes, disodium carbonate and smoke...

Russian fertilisers and agricultural products must be able reach world markets “unimpeded” or a global food crisis could strike as early as next year, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday. “It is important that all governments and the private sector cooperate to bring them to market,” he said from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC). The JCC oversees the implementation of the Ukrainian grain export agreement signed in July by Kyiv and Moscow with the UN and Turkey as guarantors. The agreement also guarantees Russia the right to export its agricultural products and fertilisers despite Western sanctions. “What we see here in Istanbul and in Odessa is only the more visible part of the solution. The other part of this package deal is the unimpeded access to the global markets of Russian food and fertiliser, which are not subject to sanctions,” Guterres said, adding that despite this, Russian fertiliser and agricultural exports still faced “obstacles.” “Without fert...

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Thursday of a nuclear disaster in Ukraine during his first face-to-face talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky since Russia’s invasion began, echoing pleas from the UN’s chief. A flare-up in fighting around Europe’s largest nuclear facility in Russian-controlled southern Ukraine has sparked urgent warnings from world leaders and UN chief Antonio Guterres cautioned during talks with Erdogan that any damage to the plant would be akin to “suicide”. “We are worried. We don’t want another Chernobyl,” Erdogan said during a press conference in the eastern city of Lviv, during which he also assured the Ukrainian leader that Ankara was a firm ally. “While continuing our efforts to find a solution, we remain on the side of our Ukraine friends,” Erdogan said. Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” about the situation at the plant and said it had to be demilitarised, adding: “We must tell it like it is — any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is su...

Flooding in Sudan has killed 77 people and destroyed an estimated 14,500 homes as seasonal rains pound the country, causing rivers to flood and destroying property. According to international media, the death toll since the rainy season began in May now stands at 77, the spokesman for Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defence, Brigadier General Abdul-Jalil Abdul-Rahim, said on Thursday. Provinces most affected by the seasonal rains include North Kordofan, Gezira, South Kordofan, South Darfur and River Nile, the spokesman said. Heavy rains usually fall in Sudan between May and October, and the country faces severe flooding every year that wrecks property, infrastructure and crops. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported earlier this week that, according to the government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission, humanitarian organisations, and local authorities, more than 136,000 people have been affected by the floods. The UN agency said it expected the ...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated the commitment to stand by Pakistan in hard times and extends full support to flood victims. In a tweet, he said one million dollars will be given to Pakistan to build resilience against natural disasters. He said this amount is in addition to one hundred thousand dollars in immediate relief. We stand by Pakistan in hard times and offer our support to flood victims. In addition to $100,000 in immediate relief, the U.S. announced $1 million to build resilience against natural disasters, and we continue to work together to mitigate future impacts of the climate crisis. https://t.co/eDSeZOrvaE — Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 17, 2022 The US Secretary of State said we continue to work together to mitigate future impacts of the climate crisis in Pakistan. via Original Source

Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military drills, Beijing’s defence ministry said. Beijing and Moscow have close defence links and China has said it wants to push bilateral relations “to a higher level,” even as Moscow faces international sanctions and widespread condemnation over its war in Ukraine. China’s defence ministry said Wednesday its participation in the annual “Vostok” exercises — which Moscow has said will take place from August 30 to September 5 — is part of a bilateral cooperation agreement with Russia. “The aim is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, enhance the level of strategic collaboration among the participating parties, and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats,” the Chinese defence ministry said in a statement. India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries will also participate, it said. China and India have been accused of providing diplomatic ...

A Chinese re­­search vessel bristling with antennas and communication gear docked at Sri Lanka’s Chinese-run port of Hambantota on Tuesday despite concerns from India and the United States about its alleged spying activities. The Yuan Wang 5 entered the deep-sea port after securing permission to enter Sri Lankan waters on the condition it would not engage in research, port officials said. It was originally due to arrive last week, but Colombo asked Beijing to defer the visit following objections by India, which shares Western concerns about Chinese activities in the region. But on Saturday, after intense negotiations, Sri Lanka announced a U-turn, saying permission was restored to dock at the southern port and remain for six days for refuelling and taking in other supplies. “We are granting the same facilities that we extend to all other countries,” government spokesman Bandula Gunawardana told reporters. “All these countries are important to us.” Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka...

A US delegation of lawmakers has arrived in Taiwan for a two-day visit during which they will meet President Tsai Ing-wen. A five-member delegation will meet senior leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, and trade following US House Speaker Pelosi’s visit and amid increasing tensions with China. According to international media, Beijing, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has held major military manoeuvres around the island to express its anger at this month’s visit to Taipei by United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The de facto US embassy in Taipei on Sunday said the delegation is being led by Senator Ed Markey, who is accompanied by four other lawmakers on what it described as part of a larger visit to the Asia-Pacific region. “The delegation will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate change, and other significant issues of mutu...

At least 41 people have reportedly been killed in a fire at a church in Egypt's capital, Cairo. The number of dead was announced by the country's Coptic Church, citing health officials. According to international media, fourteen other people were reportedly injured. An electrical fire broke out as 5,000 worshippers gathered for mass at the Coptic Abu Sifin church in the Imbaba neighbourhood, sources told the Reuters news agency. The fire blocked an entrance to the church, causing a stampede, they said, adding that most of those killed were children. via Original Source

The FBI recovered documents that were labeled “top secret” from former US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. According to international media a property receipt unsealed by the court on Friday shows FBI agents took 11 sets of classified records from the estate during a search. The property receipt is a document prepared by federal agents to specify what was taken during a search. The seized records include some that were marked as classified and some top secret. The court records did not provide specific details about the documents or what information they might contain. On Friday, Trump claimed that the documents seized by agents at his Florida club were “all declassified”, and argued that he would have turned over the documents to the Department of Justice if asked. “Number one, it was all declassified. Number two, they didn’t need to ‘seize’ anything. They could have had it anytime they wanted without playing politics and breaking into Mar-a-Lago,” Trump wr...

A wildfire was advancing through the Gironde region of southwestern France on Wednesday, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents, some of whom had clambered onto rooftops as the flames got closer. More than 1,000 firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft were fighting the fire that has razed more than 6,000 hectares and is still burning out of control. France, like the rest of Europe, is struggling with successive heatwaves and its worst drought on record. Dozens of wildfires are ablaze across the country, including at least four other major ones. In the village of Hostens in the Gironde, police went door to door telling residents to leave as the fire advanced. Camille Delay fled with her partner and her son, grabbing their two cats, chickens and house insurance papers before taking flight. "Everyone in the village climbed onto their rooftops to see what was happening - within ten minutes a little twist of smoke became enormous," the 30...

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency closed door meeting on Monday to discuss Israel’s latest escalation in the Gaza Strip. The council’s meeting will come amid Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. The death toll of the attacks, which also caused considerable material damage, reached 32 as of today. Meanwhile, over 260 have so far sustained injuries. In reacting to the latest developments in the region, many countries have called for restraint and condemned Israel’s offensive. The UN has also expressed concerns about the serious escalation, saying that the “humanitarian situation in Gaza is already dire and can only worsen with this most recent escalation.” Lynn Hastings, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestinian territories, said: “The hostilities must stop to avoid more deaths and injuries of civilians in Gaza and Israel. via Original Source

The death toll from escalating violence in Gaza rose to 29 on Sunday, as well as the killing of a senior commander of a Palestinian armed group, as Israel extended its bombardment of the territory for a second consecutive day. In a statement today, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ) confirmed the killing of one of its senior armed commanders in an Israeli air strike on the Gaza Strip. “Al-Quds Brigades mourns the leader Khaled Mansour, member of the security council and the commander of the southern region (of Gaza Strip) who was martyred as a result of an Israeli air strike yesterday (Saturday),” the group said in the statement. Al-Quds Brigades is the armed wing of the group. Meanwhile, the updated count from health authorities in the Hamas-run territory said six children were among those martyred since the start of the “Israeli aggression” on Friday, in addition to 204 people injured. But Israel said it had “irrefutable” evidence that a stray rocket from mi...

Chinese and Taiwanese warships played high-seas “cat and mouse” on Sunday ahead of the scheduled end of four days of unprecedented Chinese military exercises launched in reaction to a visit to Taiwan by the US house speaker. Nancy Pelosi’s visit last week to the self-ruled island infuriated China, which responded with test launches of ballistic missiles over the island’s capital for the first time and the cutting of communication links with the United States. Some 10 warships each from China and Taiwan sailed at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line, an unofficial buffer separating the two sides, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The island’s defence ministry said in a release multiple Chinese military ships, aircraft, and drones were simulating attacks on the island and its navy. It said it had sent aircraft and ships to react “appropriately”. As Chinese forces “pressed” the line, as they did on Saturday, the Ta...

South Korea launched its first lunar orbiter on Friday as it doubles down on its space programmes, aiming to land a probe on the moon by 2030. The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, nicknamed Danuri, meaning "enjoy the Moon", was launched on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral US Space Force Station at 8:08am on Friday (2308 GMT on Thursday), South Korea's science ministry said. The 678 kg (1,495 lb) Danuri separated from the projectile about 40 minutes after launch and began communicating with a ground station around 9:40am. "Analysis of the received information confirmed [...] Danuri was operating normally," Vice Science Minister Oh Tae-seog told a briefing, announcing that the orbiter had established a trajectory towards the moon. It will enter the moon's orbit in December before starting a yearlong observation mission, including searching for a landing site and testing space internet technology, the ministry said. If it suc...