July 14, 2023

Peshawar Police Station Attack Foiled   Yesterday, a coordinated attack on a police station in Matani, Peshawar, was confronted by the security service. The assailants employed a combination of small arms and heavy weaponry, employing a two-pronged attack strategy. However, following a fierce exchange of gunfire lasting approximately 25 minutes, the attackers eventually retreated from the premises. At present, the security service has not received any reports of casualties or property damage resulting from the incident.

Europe’s Intense Heatwave: Security Alert in Islamabad   As a heatwave continues to sweep across parts of Europe, must closely monitor the situation. Next few days: Potential record-breaking temperatures over 40C (104F) in parts of Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, and Turkey. They could reach 48C in parts of Italy, becoming “potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe”, says the European Space Agency. A red alert warning is in place for 10 cities, including Florence and Rome. Last month was the hottest June on record, according to the EU’s climate monitoring service Copernicus. Extreme weather resulting from warming climate is “unfortunately becoming the new normal”, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned. Periods of intense heat occur within natural weather patterns, but scientists say that globally they are becoming more frequent, more intense and are lasting longer due to global warming. Why this summer has been so hot A simple guide to climate change Is climate change causing droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and floods? In pictures: Cerberus heatwave hits parts of Europe Tourists Impacted by Heatwave in Europe   Tourists in Europe have been impacted by the heatwave. In Athens, the Greek Red Cross has deployed teams to the Acropolis to look after visitors – saying many get nauseous and dizzy due to the heat. “That is why with the leaflets we try to inform them where in the municipality of Athens there are places with air condition in order to go inside,” said Marina Stamatis, a representative for the organization. Earlier this week, a man in his forties died from the heat after collapsing in northern Italy – while several visitors to the country have collapsed from heatstroke, including a British man outside the Colosseum in Rome. People have been advised to drink at least two litres of water a day and to avoid coffee and alcohol, which are dehydrating. Spain’s Sweltering Temperatures   Australian tourists Maria and Gloria in Rome “really surprised” by the heat, avoiding midday outings, they told BBC. Italian tourists Andrea Romano and Michele La Penna told the BBC their hometown of Potenza, in the Apennine mountains, has “more humane temperatures” than Rome. “We need to start doing something about climate change. We need to be more responsible. The damage is already done. We need to do something about it. But not only the government. It all starts from people. Each of us needs to do something: use less plastic, don’t use the AC, use electric cars,” said Andrea. Therefore, italian Meteorological Society names heatwave “Cerberus” after Dante’s Inferno monster. Expect more extreme conditions in the coming days. Spain has been sweltering in temperatures of up to 45C (113F). The Andalusian regional government has started a telephone assistance service for people affected by the heat. Therefore, european Space Agency warns of potential record-breaking temperatures, reaching 48C in Sicily and Sardinia, possibly the hottest in Europe. Moreover, the UK’s national weather service, the Met Office, earlier said it expected temperatures to peak on Friday. BBC Weather says large swathes of southern Europe could see temperatures in the low to mid 40s – and possibly higher. Italian forecasters warn of “Charon” heatwave, raising temps to 43C in Rome and possibly 47C in Sardinia, after Cerberus subsides. A record-smashing summer around the world It isn’t just Europe that is hot. Summer Temperature Records   Summer sets temperature records in Canada, US, India, China, and Asia, with scorching heat waves breaking previous highs. Record-high sea temperatures in the Atlantic coincide with the lowest extent of Antarctic sea ice ever recorded. And it is going to get hotter. Therefore, a weather pattern called El Niño is developing in the tropical Pacific. It tends to drive up temperatures by around 0.2C on average. Therefore, approaching perilous 1.5C threshold: 1.1C rise from climate change and other factors push global temperatures higher. Let’s set things in a historic context to give us some perspective. However, security companies in Islamabad should be informed that the first week of July is reckoned to have been the hottest week since records began. But scientists can use the bubbles of air trapped in ancient Antarctic ice to estimate temperatures going back more than a million years. That data suggests that that last week was the hottest week for some 125,000 years. Therefore, in the Eemian era, Thames hosted hippos, while sea levels were estimated 5m (16.4ft) higher, according to experts’ findings. A new study says 61,672 people died in Europe as a result of the heat last year. ISGlobal Institute in Barcelona: Italy – 18,010 deaths, Spain – 11,324 deaths, and Germany – 8,173 deaths attributed to heat. Heatwave Frequency & Climate Change   The fear is that the heat could cause many more deaths this summer. However, should be aware that cities in Spain with the highest risk of heat-related deaths, as per ISGlobal’s research, include Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, and Bilbao. Temperatures rising higher than expected for the time of year cause a heatwave, leading to a period of hot weather. Therefore, experts say periods of exceptionally hot weather are becoming more frequent and climate change means it is now normal to experience record-breaking temperatures. Additionally, at present, there is no indication that the heat in southern Europe will reach the UK any time soon. BBC Weather’s Darren Bett predicts that the UK will experience cooler, Atlantic air throughout next week. The UK is experiencing a July that has been slightly wetter than normal, with temperatures that feel rather low. Moreover, the weather in the UK in June was the warmest on record by a considerable margin. Take note: Met Office attributes UK’s warmest June to “climate change’s fingerprint.” Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66197368

Ukrainian Civilians Detained in Russia and Occupied Territories   In the bitter cold,  Ukrainian civilians woke early, and queued for the toilet, as armed captors loaded them into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers. The captors forced many to wear overlarge Russian military uniforms, potentially making them targets. Meanwhile, a former city administrator trudged around in boots five sizes too big. By the end of the day, their hands curled into icy claws. In Zaporizhzhia’s occupied region, civilians dug mass graves for fellow prisoners who couldn’t survive. One man who refused to dig was shot on the spot — yet another body for the grave. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being detained across Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories. They are held in centers ranging from brand-new wings in Russian prisons to clammy basements. Most, including have no status under Russian law. Russia is planning to hold possibly thousands more. Russian document shows plans for 25 prison colonies, 6 detention centers in occupied Ukraine by 2026. The document’s date is January. In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in May allowing Russia to send people from territories with martial law, which includes all of occupied Ukraine, to those without, such as Russia. Russian Torture and Detention of Ukrainian Civilians   This makes it easier to deport Ukrainians who resist Russian occupation deep into Russia indefinitely, which has happened in multiple cases documented by the AP. Many civilians are picked up for alleged transgressions as minor as speaking Ukrainian or simply being a young man in an occupied region and are often held without charge. Others are charged as terrorists, combatants, or people who “resist the special military operation.” Hundreds are used for slave labor by Russia’s military, for digging trenches and other fortifications, as well as mass graves. Torture is routine, including repeated electrical shocks, beatings that crack skulls and fractured ribs, and simulated suffocation. Many former prisoners told the AP they witnessed deaths. A United Nations report from late June documented 77 summary executions of civilian captives and the death of one man due to torture. Russia does not acknowledge holding civilians at all, let alone its reasons for doing so. But the prisoners serve as future bargaining chips in exchange for Russian soldiers, and the U.N. has said there is evidence of civilians being used as human shields near the front lines. Human Rights Abuses and Torture   The AP spoke with dozens of people, including 20 former detainees, along with ex-prisoners of war, the families of more than a dozen civilians in detention, two Ukrainian intelligence officials, and a government negotiator. Their accounts, as well as satellite imagery, social media, government documents, and copies of letters delivered by the Red Cross, confirm a widescale Russian system of detention and abuse of civilians that stands in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions. Some civilians were held for days or weeks, while others have vanished for well over a year. Nearly everyone freed said they experienced or witnessed torture, and most described being shifted from one place to another without explanation. “It’s a business of human trafficking,” said Olena Yahupova, the city administrator who was forced to dig trenches for the Russians in Zaporizhzhia. “If we don’t talk about it and keep silent, then tomorrow anyone can be there — my neighbor, acquaintance, child.” INVISIBLE PRISONERS   The new building in the compound of Prison Colony No. 2 is at least two stories tall, separated from the main prison by a thick wall. Satellite imagery shows this new facility in Rostov region, Russia, since the war began in Feb 2022, says AP. Hundreds of detained Ukrainian civilians are believed to be housed in this facility, per captives, families, activists, and lawyers. Two exiled Russian human rights advocates said it is heavily guarded by soldiers and armored vehicles. Over 40 detention facilities in Russia & Belarus, and 63 sites in occupied Ukraine hold civilians, incl. Rostov building. Data from former captives, Ukrainian Media Initiative, & Gulagu.net formed the AP map’s information. The recent U.N. report counted a total of 37 facilities in Russia and Belarus and 125 in occupied Ukraine. Some also hold Russian prisoners accused or convicted of a variety of crimes. Other, more makeshift locations are near the front lines, and the AP documented two locations where former prisoners say Ukrainians were forced to dig trenches. The shadowy nature of the system makes it difficult to know exactly how many civilians are being detained. Ukraine’s government has been able to confirm the legal details of a little over 1,000 who are facing charges. Ukraine’s Detained Civilians   At least 4,000 civilians are held in Russia and at least as many are scattered around the occupied territories, according to Vladimir Osechkin, an exiled Russian human rights activist who talks to informants within Russian prisons and founded Gulagu.net to document abuses. Ovechkin showed AP a Russian prison document from 2022 saying that 119 people ‘‘opposed to the special military operation’’ in Ukraine were moved by plane to the main prison colony in the Russian region of Voronezh. Many Ukrainians later freed by Russia also described unexplained plane transfers. In all, Ukraine’s government believes around 10,000 civilians could be detained, according to Ukrainian negotiator Oleksandr Kononeko, based on reports from loved ones, as well as post-release interviews with some civilians and the hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers returned in prisoner exchanges. Ukraine said in June that about 150 civilians have been freed to Ukrainian-controlled territory, and the Russians deny holding others. “They say, ‘We don’t have these people, it’s you who is lying,’” Kononeko said. The detention of two men from the Kherson region in August 2022 offers a glimpse at how hard it is for families to track down loved ones in Russian custody. Detention and Uncertainty   Artem Baranov, and Yevhen Pryshliak, who worked at a local asphalt plant with his father, had