November 25, 2023

NEW YORK: US-Canada border crossings near Niagara Falls were closed Wednesday as terrorism investigators responded to a vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge, local and state authorities said. Two people were killed in the blast, according to US media citing authorities. Their identities were not yet clear. The cause of the incident was not immediately clear but New York Governor Kathy Hochul said state police and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force were monitoring all points of entry into the state. US media cited law enforcement sources as saying there were two people in the car, which had passed through one border checkpoint where it was selected for a secondary check. The car then sped up, crashed into a barrier and exploded, the sources said, stressing it was unclear if the blast was the result of a device. “I am traveling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement and emergency responders and will update New Yorkers when more information becomes available,” Hochul posted on social media. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau´s office said he had been briefed and was in contact with US law enforcement. Multiple Canadian agencies were supporting the investigation, it added. Witnesses reported hearing a deafening explosion and seeing a large cloud of smoke near the inspections station. Ivan Vitalii, a visitor from Ukraine, told the Niagara Gazette he and a friend were at a nearby convenience store on the US side when they saw a car exit a parking lot and travel toward the bridge. “We heard something smash,” he said. “We saw fire and big, black smoke.” Ron Rienas, of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, told ABC News all four bridges connecting the two countries over the Niagara River have been closed. Dramatic images posted to social media, which AFP has not verified, purported to show thick plumes of black smoke rising from a large conflagration at the crossing. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1131507-two-killed-in-car-explosion-at-niagara-border-prompting-terrorism-task-force-response

RAWALPINDI: Two former officers of the Pakistan Army, Major (retd) Adil Farooq Raja and Captain (retd) Haider Raza Mehdi, were Saturday convicted and sentenced through Field General Court Martial (FGCM) under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 for “inciting sedition”, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement. According to the military’s media wing, the two retired officers have been charged with inciting sedition among army personnel from the discharge of duties and violation of the provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 related to espionage and acts prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state. Raja has been sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment, while Mehdi was awarded 12 years of rigorous imprisonment. The court of competent jurisdiction, the ISPR said, convicted and adjudged both the individuals on October 7 and 9 this year, through the due judicial process. “Pursuant to the awarded sentence, the ranks of both officers have been forfeited on 21 November 2023,” the ISPR stated. Both the court-martialled former servicemen are based outside Pakistan at the moment. ‘Military trials of civilians start’ Senior journalist Mazhar Abbas, while speaking to Geo News, said both convicted officers were introduced to the public through social media. “If you watch their vlogs, they talked about the Pakistan Army, and especially the vlogs after May 9 targeted the establishment. In journalism we say that negativity always sells which can be seen [in their vlogs],” said Abbas. He said that he believes this is the beginning of the trials of people who were convicted after May 9 in military courts. “I believe that this is the start of military trials of the civilians. So far, we don’t know how many other retired officers are under custody or are being court-martialled. However, I believe this is the start of the hearing of the people who were charged after the May 9 violence and we can expect that their trials will be fast-paced no matter if they are held in civilian or anti-terrorism courts. I believe that these cases will be concluded very soon,” added the senior journalist. ‘Clear message’ to saboteurs National Security expert Syed Muhammad Ali said that these punishments hold much importance as both of the convicts are retired army officers who escaped from the country and had a lot of corruption cases filed against them. “They started a campaign on social media to keep the attention away from their cases. Through this campaign, they spread hateful and fake propaganda against the army by sitting abroad,” Ali said while speaking to Geo News. “There are four important aspects of the national security in this regard. One of them is that their whole narrative from the last two years is to incite hatred and sedition among the people against the army and to damage the trust they have in the armed forces,” he mentioned. Their second goal, the expert added, was to spread misconception and sedition against the military among the army personnel and the third was to cover their corruption cases. The fourth one is that both these officers belonged to a family which had a lot of members in the army, he stated. “This is very embarrassing and a big mark on their families’ sacrifices. They were given multiple chances to defend themselves in the last couple of years, however, they did not come forward to defend themselves as all the proofs were available against them,” he added. “These punishments are important to maintain the morale of the rank and file of the army, to maintain discipline and to tell the people that if people within the army act against their institution, harm the national security, or promote foreign agenda then they will also be punished.” “But their case cannot be completely viewed in relation to the May 9 as since the last two years, almost every single one of their vlogs was to spread hatred against the army, mutiny among army personnel, malign the army, and harm Pakistan’s name internationally,” he added. When asked if they will be called back to Pakistan through Interpol, Ali said that the process has already been started as steps have been taken regarding their passports and ID cards. “Their red warrants will be issued through Interpol and they will be extradited to Pakistan so that they can be punished,” he said. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1132360-two-former-pak-army-officers-sentenced-for-inciting-sedition-ispr

Displaced Palestinians used short pause in fighting to return to their homes, only to find utter destruction. More prisoners and captives are set for release on the second day of four-day truce between Hamas and Israel, as humanitarian aid trucks arrive in northern Gaza. Thirty-nine Palestinians and 13 Israelis were welcomed home after release from Israeli prisons and captivity in Gaza, respectively. Ten Thais and one Filipino were also freed from Gaza and will soon be travelling home. More than 14,800 Palestinians, including 6,150 children, have been killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas’s attack stands at 1,200. What to know about the release of prisoners and captives now We are awaiting the release of a further Palestinian prisoners in Israel and captives being held in Gaza. It’s expected to be completed within the coming hours. Here’s what to know: Between 39 and 42 Palestinians held in Israeli jails are expected to be freed today. Fourteen captives held in Gaza are also expected to be handed to the Red Cross as part of their transfer to Israel. The exact timing of the releases is not yet clear. Yesterday, 39 Palestinian prisoners and 13 Israeli captives were released under the truce agreement. Hamas also released an additional 10 Thai nationals and one Philippine citizen outside the framework of that deal. Central Gaza market crowded with people Shoppers have flooded the Nuseirat market in the central Gaza Strip on the second day of the truce in order to secure much-needed food supplies. Photojournalist Attia Darwish captured the scenes in this video verified by Al Jazeera: PRCS delivers ‘largest’ batch of aid assistance to northern Gaza since war began The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said on social media that it had delivered a convoy of 61 trucks carrying aid assistance to “Gaza [City] and the North governates”, calling it the largest such delivery since the war began on October 7. The Gaza Strip is divided into five governorates: North Gaza, Gaza City, Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah. The trucks were “loaded with food and non-food items, water, primary health care medicines, and emergency medical supplies,” the PRCS said on X. More than two million in Gaza need food assistance As part of the four-day truce deal between Hamas and Israel, 137 aid trucks entered Gaza on Friday. However, aid agencies say much more is needed to assist the 2.3 million people living in the besieged enclave, calling the conditions on the ground “catastrophic”. Here is a summary of the humanitarian situation in Gaza: More than 1.7 million people have been forcibly displaced. Many are seeking safety in UN schools and shelters, which are experiencing severe overcrowding. The United Nations says some 2.2 million people need food assistance to survive. More than 44,000 cases of diarrhoea and 70,000 cases of respiratory infections have been reported. Gaza civilians facing immediate risk of starvation: WFP Click Three lessons from day one of the truce Sultan Barakat, professor of Public Policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, told Al Jazeera that one thing learned from the first day of the temporary pause in fighting is that much of what was accomplished could have been “achieved without having to kill 14,000 people”. “And that’s lesson number one. They could have talked … and they could have resolved these issues without having to unleash this whole damage on Gaza,” he said, adding that from the beginning of the war, Hamas said they were willing to release captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Another lesson from the truce, Barakat said, is that it showed the similarities between captives taken by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Israel has “now released 17 minors, in Israel’s definition, children, that were captured by Israel over the last couple of years without going on trial. What’s the difference between them and other children being taken hostages [by Hamas]?” he said. The third lesson learned, according to Barakat, is that the exchange has highlighted that none of the prisoners released by Israel were “necessarily associated directly with Hamas”. “None of these people released by Israel have been caught after the 7th of October. They’re all a long-term issue in relation to the occupation,” he said. “And I think what Hamas is also trying to score here is that most of them are returning to the West Bank. None of them is returning to territories that are under control of Hamas.” Click here to share on social media Dozens of people have gathered outside the office of Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles in Geelong to protest against the government’s stance on Israel’s war on Gaza. The protesters wrote  “Shame on you” on the exterior wall of the office, where they also placed the Palestinian flag. Australia’s centre-left Labor government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been opposing calls for a ceasefire. Meanwhile earlier this month, Palestinian and Australian human rights organisations launched a legal challenge in Australia’s high court seeking to shed light on the country’s shadowy arms trade. Committee to press for permanent ceasefire at upcoming UNSC Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi says “security will only be achieved” by settling the conflict and the two-state solution. “Israel will not enjoy security by killing the Palestinians,” he said during a joint news conference with his Portuguese and Slovenian counterparts, Joao Gomez Cravinho, and Tanja Fajon. “This year is considered the bloodiest for Palestinians in more than 10 years,” Safadi added. He said at the upcoming UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, the Arab-Islamic Liaison Committee will press for a permanent ceasefire. “Israel attacks anyone who does not agree with its policy, and it cannot remain above international law. We all want this truce to turn into a permanent ceasefire and a complete end to this aggression,” Safadi added. “If this decision is not taken, the Security Council is responsible for perpetuating this barbarity represented by the Israeli aggression against our people in Gaza.” Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi [Mazen Mahdi/AFP] Click