Taiwan has been rattled by a cluster of dozens of earthquakes that caused buildings to sway and that the government said were aftershocks from the huge quake that hit the island more than two weeks ago. The strongest of the latest tremors, which the United States Geological Survey measured at a magnitude of 6.1, hit at about 2.30am (18:30 GMT) followed minutes later by a 6.0 tremor. Taipei’s Central Weather Administration put them at 6.0 and 6.3, respectively. The seismic activity, which was centred around Hualien on the east coast, caused buildings across large parts of northern, eastern and western Taiwan to shake throughout the night. There were no reports of casualties. Office worker Kevin Lin, who lives in the capital Taipei, told the AFP news agency that the quake woke him. “I was too scared to move and stayed in bed,” the 53-year-old said. At about 8am (00:00 GMT), a 5.8-magnitude tremor shook the capital as commuters made their way to work. The mountainous county of Hualien, about 150km (93 miles) from Taipei, was the epicentre of a magnitude-7.2 quake that struck the island on April 3, severely damaging buildings in Hualien City and triggering landslides in the surrounding countryside. At least 14 people were killed, and there have been more than 1,100 aftershocks. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said the latest cluster of earthquakes were also aftershocks. Seismological Centre Director Wu Chien-fu told reporters that the quakes were a “concentrated release of energy” and that more could be expected, although perhaps not as strong. In Hualien, the government announced that schools and offices would remain closed on Tuesday due to the continuous aftershocks. Buildings that partially collapsed in the April 3 quake, including the Full Hotel and the nearby Tong Shuai Building, were further damaged. Both were empty and have already been marked for demolition. The April 3 quake was the most serious in Taiwan in 25 years, but the toll was relatively contained thanks to widespread public awareness campaigns and stricter building standards. The island of 23 million people lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is no stranger to powerful earthquakes. Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/23/sleepless-night-in-taiwan-as-island-rattled-by-cluster-of-aftershocks

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir said there was a need for “improved coordination” between Pakistan and Iran against terrorists. He made these comments in a meeting with Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, who is currently in Pakistan on a three-day official visit. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), COAS Munir emphasised the need for improved coordination along the border to prevent terrorists from jeopardising the longstanding brotherly relations between the two neighbouring countries. The statement read that the discussion between the two dignitaries primarily focused on matters of mutual interest, notably regional peace, stability and border security. “Both sides concurred on the necessity to bolster bilateral cooperation while jointly striving for regional stability and economic prosperity,” said the ISPR statement. President Raisi, during the meeting, emphasised that by fostering cooperation between the two armed forces, Islamabad and Tehran can attain peace and stability for both nations and the region. President Raisi’s visit to Pakistan The Iranian head of state arrived in Pakistan on Monday on a three-day official visit, the first by any foreign leader to Pakistan after the February 8 polls. He is being accompanied by his spouse and a high-level delegation, comprising the foreign minister and other members of the cabinet, senior officials and a large business delegation. Following his arrival at the Prime Minister’s House to meet with PM Shehbaz Sharif on April 22, the Iranian president received a guard of honour from the smartly turned-out contingents of the armed forces. The premier welcomed the high-profile guest as he arrived at the venue of the formal welcome ceremony after which the national anthems of both countries were played. In the second leg of his high-profile visit to Pakistan, Raisi will travel to Lahore. Later, the Iranian leader will travel to Karachi where his meetings are scheduled with Governor Kamran Tessori and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. Raisi will also visit Quaid’s mausoleum in Karachi and pay his respects to the founder of Pakistan. The foreign leader would stay in Karachi and return to Tehran on Wednesday. The provincial authorities are on high alert due to the high-profile visit and a public holiday has been declared in Karachi and Lahore today.  Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1181415-army-chief-meets-president-raisi-seeks-improved-coordination-with-iran-against-terrorists

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/23/israels-war-on-gaza-live-palestinians-urge-donors-to-resume-unrwa-funding

At least 63 persons were killed and 78 others injured in the recent rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Sunday. “The dead include 33 children, 15 men and 15 women,” the PDMA said in its report, adding, 17 women, 37 men, and 24 children were injured. According to the report, 477 houses were destroyed and 2,725 suffered damage. Various districts, including Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera Khyber, Lower Chitral, Upper Chitral, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Swat, Bajaur, Shangla, Mansehra, Mohmand, Malakand, Karak, Tank, Mardan, Buner, Hangu, Battagram, Bannu, North and South Waziristan, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan and Orakzai suffered financial losses due to rain. On the directive of chief minister, the PDMA released Rs110 million to the administration of affected districts thus far, the report said, adding that Rs90 million were released for relief activities in the newly merged districts. Along with financial support, it added, the PDMA provided relief items to the most-affected districts of Peshawar, Nowshera, Chitral, Swat, Bajaur, Lower Kohistan, Mohmand, Upper Dir, Tank, Shangla and Torghar, etc. The relief items included tents, mats, kitchen sets, blankets, beds, tarpaulins, solar lamps, and other daily life items. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the PDMA said that relief activities were ongoing in the rain-affected districts. He said the PDMA had already cautioned officials of all the districts to take precautionary measures ahead of the third spell of rain which was likely to hit the province. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1181009-death-toll-from-kp-rains-put-at-63

Ukraine launched attacks on eight Russian regions with long-range strike drones in the early hours of Saturday morning, targeting a fuel depot and power substations, according to a statement from a Ukrainian special services source. The overnight attacks, which were confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry, come amid a renewed effort by Moscow to disable Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and plunge its citizens into darkness, using the freezing temperatures as a weapon of war. “Russian Defense Ministry is complaining that dozens of Ukrainian drones popped up in some eight regions – Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Tula, Smolensk, Ryazan, Kaluga regions, and even Moscow region. At least three power substations and a fuel storage facility were damaged and caught fire,” the source said, adding that the attacks were part of a joint operation by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Defence Intelligence, and the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The source added that the “energy infrastructure that feeds the Russian military-industrial facilities was the target. Some areas experienced troubles with power and water supply following the attacks.” Video shared on social media showed the aftermath of drone strikes on a fuel depot in Russia’s Smolensk region, which caught fire in the early hours of the morning. “At around 2 a.m. this morning, there was an attempted attack by Ukrainian UAVs on a fuel and energy facility in Kardymovsky district. Air defense forces shot down the aerial devices. Information on casualties is being clarified,” Smolensk regional governor Vasiliy Anokhin wrote on Telegram. According to Anokhin, the falling UAV debris caused a fire in a fuel and lubricants tank, and crews with Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations were responding to the blaze. In a separate post, the governor of Smolensk reported that air defenses repelled one more UAV attack on the regional center later Saturday morning. The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting one drone over the Smolensk region, and said that its air defense systems intercepted or destroyed 50 Ukrainian drones in the past day. Aleksandr Bogomaz, governor of the southwestern region of Bryansk in Russia, reported on Saturday that “a downed Ukrainian UAV caused a fire at an energy infrastructure facility.” “Fire and rescue units and emergency crews of PJSC Rosseti are operating at the site, ensuring uninterrupted power supply to consumers,” Bogomaz said in a Telegram update on Saturday. Smoke billows after Ukraine’s SBU drone strikes a refinery, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Ryazan, Ryazan Region, Russia, in this screen grab from a video obtained by Reuters, March 13, 2024. Video obtained by Reuters In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks deep inside Russian territory, targeting energy infrastructure like oil refineries and terminals, as well as airfields. After strikes on three refineries in mid-March, a Ukrainian defense source told CNN on that Ukraine is “implementing a well-planned strategy to decrease Russian economic potential.” The attacks have been made possible by the use of drones with longer ranges and more advanced capabilities, some of which have even begun to integrate a basic form of artificial intelligence to help them navigate and avoid being jammed, a source close to Ukraine’s drone program told CNN. News of the drone attacks come as the situation on Ukraine’s eastern front has “worsened significantly,” the military’s top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said a few days ago – a message backed up by video evidence, analysts, and interviews conducted by CNN with Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainians were waiting Saturday in anticipation of a highly-anticipated vote in the US House of Representatives that could finally unlock nearly $61 billion of military aid for the country, as frontline troops find themselves withdrawing from key terrain, or getting pounded from the air as they try to hold on to important towns. Of that total, about $23 billion would be used to replenish US weapons, stockpiles and facilities, and more than $11 billion would fund current US military operations in the region. Nearly $14 billion included in the bill would help Ukraine buy advanced weapons systems and other defense equipment. Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/20/europe/ukraine-drone-attacks-russia-intl/index.html

 As by-elections are set to take place across 21 constituencies in Pakistan tomorrow, Punjab Saturday requested the federal Interior Ministry to suspend mobile network and internet services in relevant districts and tehsils. The provincial home department has written a letter to the federal ministry in this regard, citing maintenance of law and order situation in Punjab and avoid any untoward incident. The home department, in the letter, requested the suspension as various districts and constituencies will witness the conduct of by-polls more than two months after the February 8 general elections across the country. According to the letter, the request for the suspension of mobile phone and internet service has been made for Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Sadiqabad, Kot Chutta, and Dera Ghazi Khan cities. Meanwhile, the tehsils where suspension is requested include Talagang, Chakwal, Kallar Kahar, Gujrat, Ali Pur Chatha, Zafarwal and Bhakkar city. A copy of the letter has also been sent to the Punjab chief secretary, inspector general, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman as well as other relevant officials. It is important to note that the mobile internet services were blocked on February 8 as well despite assurances by the government of undisrupted network connectivity during polls. Services were “temporarily” suspended on the day of vote even before the clock struck 8am — the start of voting time. By-elections on 22 NA, provincial seats By-elections will take place across 21 National and provincial assembly constituencies tomorrow. The by-polls will be conducted on at least five National Assembly seats, 12 in the Punjab Assembly, two each in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan legislatures will also witness a by-election. In Punjab, NA-132 (Kasur) and NA-119 (Lahore) — vacated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz — will see candidates up against each other in the by-polls. PM Shehbaz also gave up two of his provincial assembly seats in Lahore, PP-158 and PP-164, retaining his NA-123 seat in the National Assembly. In Sindh, NA-196 (Qamber Shadadkot) will also see a by-poll after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari vacated the seat. In KP, the NA-44 (Dera Ismail Khan) seat was left vacant after provincial Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur retained his provincial assembly seat, PK-113, while by-polls will also be conducted in the NA-8 (Bajaur) constituency, which was left vacant after one of its candidates — Rehan Zeb Khan — was murdered ahead of the February 8 general elections. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1180419-by-polls-punjab-seeks-suspension-of-mobile-internet-services-in-lahore-sheikhupura-other-cities

At least one person has been killed and 20 injured after a blast at a military base in Iraq used by the Iran-aligned Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), according to security sources. The PMF said “the attack” late on Friday targeted the Kalsu military base, located some 50km (31 miles) south of the capital Baghdad in the province of Babil (Babylon). Videos and images from the scene showed a huge explosion, which also set fire to trees in the surrounding areas, spreading the blaze. Footage from inside the base on Saturday morning showed a large crater and damage to infrastructure and vehicles. In a statement, the PMF claimed “American aggression bombed the Kalso military base”, which is located near the town of Iskandariya. The Iraqi military said on Saturday that there were no drones or fighter jets detected in the airspace of the Babil area before or during the blast. One PMF member was killed and eight injured in the blast, an army statement said. The United States military denied reports that it was behind air strikes in Iraq. The Iraqi government said it was investigating the incident. Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is currently in the US. The bases also houses Iraqi federal police and Iraqi military forces. Reporting from Baghdad, Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed said the PMF, which is a part of the official security forces of the state of Iraq, described an “indiscriminate” attack. “Injuries included individuals with the PMF, soldiers with the Iraqi Ministry of Defence, as well as civilians who were in the vicinity of the military site when it was attacked,” he said. Abdelwahed added that Camp Kalsu was under the control of US soldiers during the US-led invasion of Iraq, but it was handed over to the Defence Ministry in 2011. It has an ammunition depot and a warehouse for tanks and other weaponry. “All fingers are pointed towards Israel, accusing Israel of carrying out the attack,” he said. There was no comment from the Israeli military. Abu Fadak al-Muhammadawi, the chief of staff of the PMF, inspected the base on Saturday. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the umbrella group of Iraqi armed forces who are opposed to the US and Israel, said it launched a retaliatory strike in the early hours of Saturday. It released a video that showed a drone being launched at night and claimed it was aimed at a “vital target” in the Israeli port city of Eilat. The group has launched dozens of attacks on US and Israeli interests across the region after the current conflict in Gaza started in October. But it largely halted its assaults since February after three US soldiers were killed in a drone strike on a base near Syria’s border with Jordan. Palestinian armed group Hamas in a statement on Saturday “strongly condemned” what it called an attack on the base and said it “considers it a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty”. Rich Outzen, a fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Al Jazeera that it would be unlikely for the US to have carried out an attack since it has been trying to contain regional tensions between Iran and Israel. “This attack would be more in line with what Israel has done below the threshold of direct attacks on Iran regionally,” he said. The blast comes a day after Iran said it shot down three quadcopters over its skies in the central city of Isfahan near a military base where a number of fighter jets and air defence batteries were situated, with no damage or casualties reported. Israel is believed to be behind the Isfahan operation but has not officially acknowledged it. On April 13, Iran launched hundreds of drones, along with cruise and ballistic missiles, at Israel, most of which were shot down by an air defence coalition of Israel, the US, the United Kingdom, France and Jordan. The Iranian attack was in retaliation for the levelling of Tehran’s consulate building in Syria earlier this month which killed members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/20/one-killed-20-wounded-in-blast-at-iran-aligned-groups-base-in-iraq