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At least three people, including journalist Mohammad Siddiq Mengal, were killed in a remote-controlled blast in Khuzdar, police told Geo News on Friday. Mengal, a local veteran journalist and president of the Khuzdar Press Club, was targeted in the deadly blast when he was going to university from his home, the station house officer said, adding that his car was the target. At least eight people were also injured as a result of the deadly explosion. Two injured individuals in the blast later succumbed to their injuries with the death toll rising to three, said the station house officer. The killed passers-by were seriously injured in the remote-controlled blast and were brought to the hospital, while the other eight injured in the blast are undergoing treatment in different hospitals, police said. According to the police, the remote-controlled blast was carried out on the Sultan Ibrahim Khan Road on the National Highway. This is not the first time Mengal has been targeted by attackers. Police said that the journalist — who was associated with a local newspaper — escaped an assassination attempt a few months ago. Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langau strongly condemned the Khuzdar blast and directed the relevant authorities to present a report. In the video, which Geo News has access to, shows that the explosion occurred as soon as Mengal’s vehicle turned towards the Sultan Ibrahim Khan Road. The attack on the journalist comes as the world honours the work of journalists around the world on Press Freedom Day today. Earlier today, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Friday said that journalism in Pakistan is “under threat” as the world commemorates Press Freedom Day. On the day, the IFJ has also launched its 22nd annual South Asia Press Freedom Report, according to which, journalists have become “punching bags” in the fight between former prime minister Imran Khan and the establishment. The report said that 60 journalists were issued legal notices while dozens were arrested and remain in custody. It said that about eight journalists were charged with sedition, terrorism and incitement to violence. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1184944-journalist-among-three-killed-in-khuzdar-blast

Kenya and Tanzania have been bracing for a cyclone on the heels of torrential rains and floods that have devastated East Africa, killing nearly 400 people and forcing tens of thousands from their homes. Cyclone Hidaya is inching closer to the eastern coast of Tanzania, with an expected landfall later on Friday, according to the latest weather forecast. It is also likely to bring more rain to neighbouring Kenya, including in the major coastal city of Mombasa, just north of the eye of the cyclone. “Crucially, the coastal region is likely to experience Cyclone Hidaya, which will result in heavy rainfall, large waves and strong winds that could affect marine activities in the Indian Ocean,” the office of Kenyan President William Ruto said. Floods in Kenya have already claimed at least 210 lives since March, according to updated tolls from the Ministry of Interior and National Administration on Friday. It said 125 people have been injured, 90 are missing, and 165,500 people are displaced. Ahead of the expected cyclone, Ruto’s government also ordered mandatory evacuations for residents near 178 dams and water reservoirs in 33 counties, and the government warned citizens to remain on alert. The rains have been amplified by the El Nino weather pattern – a naturally occurring climate phenomenon typically associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy downpours elsewhere. In Tanzania, at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in recent days. With the arrival of Hidaya, there are more fears of weather disruption. “The presence of Hidaya Cyclone … is expected to dominate and affect the weather patterns in the country including heavy rain and strong winds in some regions near Indian Ocean,” the Tanzania Red Cross Society said on the social media platform X. The heavier-than-usual rains have also killed at least 29 people in Burundi, with 175 people injured, and tens of thousands displaced since September last year, the United Nations said. More heavy rains expected Kenya’s capital Nairobi is among the areas expected to suffer heavy rains over the next three days, the Kenya Meteorological Department said on X, warning of strong winds and large ocean waves along the country’s coastline. The forecaster urged residents to be vigilant for flash floods and lightning strikes, adding that strong winds could “blow off roofs, uproot trees” and cause other damage. Earlier this week, Kenya’s Ruto announced he was deploying his country’s military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas. In a bulletin released on Thursday evening, the Interior Ministry ordered anyone living close to major rivers or near 178 “filled up or near filled up dams or water reservoirs” to vacate the area within 24 hours, warning that they would otherwise face “mandatory evacuation for their safety”. The devastation has also affected Kenya’s tourism sector – a key economic driver – with some 100 tourists marooned in the famed Maasai Mara wildlife reserve on Wednesday after a river overflowed, flooding lodges and safari camps. Rescuers later managed to evacuate 90 people by ground and air, the Interior Ministry said. In the deadliest single incident in Kenya, dozens of villagers were killed when a dam burst on Monday near Mai Mahiu in the Rift Valley, about 60km (40 miles) north of Nairobi. The Interior Ministry said 52 bodies had been recovered and 51 people were still missing after the dam disaster. Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb, who is reporting from Kiambu County, said that residents in the area, which was also hit with heavy flooding, are asking “why the government has not done more” to prevent the disaster. He reported that one company, which was contracted to fix a bridge and flood-control infrastructure in the area, ran away with the money without finishing the project. Opposition politicians and lobby groups have also accused Ruto’s government of being unprepared and slow to respond to the crisis despite weather warnings. On Thursday, Human Rights Watch said “Kenya’s government has a human rights obligation to prevent foreseeable harm from climate change and extreme weather events and to protect people when a disaster strikes”. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/3/kenya-tanzania-brace-for-cyclone-hidaya-amid-heavy-rain-and-floods

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/3/israels-war-on-gaza-live-unprecedented-levels-of-death-and-destruction

 During the interim government’s tenure, a surplus quantity of wheat was imported under a systematic design which caused a loss of over Rs300 billion to the national exchequer, Geo News reported quoting sources. The sources said the Ministry of National Food Security told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about this during a briefing at the PM Office in Islamabad. They said crucial development had taken place in the wheat scandal’s probe launched on the orders of PM Shehbaz. The ministry, as per the sources, apprised that during the caretaker government’s tenure the private sector was given a complete exemption on import, on the ministry’s recommendation, instead of a cap, whereas wheat traders were also exempted from the customs duty and GST. In the briefing, it was apprised that 28.18 million tonnes of wheat was produced last year and the caretaker government decided to import 2.45 million tonnes more. The sources said Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Limited (PASSCO), the government’s main grain procurement and storage agency, and provincial departments could only buy 5.87 million tonnes of wheat instead of the required target of 7.80 million tonnes from the growers. The briefing said that after the approval of the interim cabinet, the Ministry of National Food Security sent a summary, ignoring the recommendations of the Ministry of Commerce and Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP). It should be noted that the wheat crop is ready in the country and the price per 40kg has also been set by the provincial governments. However, the Punjab and Balochistan governments are yet to start the purchase from the farmers. Due to the non-purchase of wheat by the provincial governments, wheat is being sold at a lower price than the official rate, which is worrying the farmers. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1184589-surplus-wheat-import-caused-rs300bn-loss-to-national-exchequer

Tensions are high at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus where hundreds of police in riot gear have deployed in force, ordering peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters to leave or face arrest, less than 24 hours after their encampment was attacked by a violent pro-Israel mob. But hundreds of students, surrounded by police, were refusing to budge as the standoff continued into early Thursday.Source “The posture inside the camp is defensive,” UCLA professor Danielle Carr told Al Jazeera. “The students know that we are facing the possibility of serious violence from the police and counter-protesters, but … my understanding is that they will not resist arrest.” On Wednesday evening, campus authorities had broadcast a message to student protesters inside the Gaza solidarity camp telling them that they were in an illegal encampment and they had to disperse immediately or face arrest, said Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds, reporting from the scene. “It might look peaceful, but it is pretty tense,” Reynolds said. “It looks like the police are going to start arresting the students who haven’t actually committed any violent acts whatsoever.” Lines of armed police with batons and wooden clubs were seen patrolling sections of the campus in large numbers. Buses were parked nearby to ferry arrested students away, but Reynolds said there would be no resistance. “The entire emphasis of the encampment has been on peaceful protest. Even when they were attacked by several hundred Israel supporters … they defended themselves, but did not take offensive action against their attackers.” The violence started with the pro-Israeli mob hurling fireworks into the pro-Palestinian encampment. Masked and carrying Israeli flags, they tried to tear down the camp, assaulting students with pepper spray, sticks, stones and metal fencing. As police stood by, students used the metal fencing thrown at them to shield themselves. Police only intervened several hours after the attacks, allowing the assailants to leave without making any arrests. “It took several hours for the university to respond and secure the students’ safety and so, the irony that, in the name of the students’ safety, the encampment will be facing a militarised police invasion, probably including tear gas … it’s hard to say fully just how disgusting many of the faculty are finding this,” said Carr. Following the cancellation of classes on Wednesday, students spent the day reinforcing the barrier surrounding their camp to defend themselves from any further attack. More than 100 people were injured in the attack, some admitted to hospital, according to the protest organisers. Reynolds said the mob, which appeared to come from outside the university community, had been present on campus for days. It was “puzzling”, he said, that the police had taken hours to arrive. “There are Los Angeles Police Department vehicles and policemen, as well as the California Highway Patrol, at the disposal of the mayor and the governor to respond in very quick order to these types of disturbances,” he added. Independent review UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement that “a group of instigators” perpetrated the previous night’s attack, but he did not provide details about the crowd or why the administration and school police did not act sooner. “However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable,” he said. “It has shaken our campus to its core.” The head of the University of California system, Michael Drake, ordered an “independent review of the university’s planning, its actions and the response by law enforcement.” The university faculty has harshly criticised the administration, with 200 members signing a letter making a series of demands, including that the police not be unleashed on the student encampment and that no student be disciplined for exercising their right to free speech. Muslim organisations in the US have also blasted university officials and police for failing to intervene and protect them from pro-Israeli attackers. “The community needs to feel the police are protecting them, not enabling others to harm them,” said Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council. US political analyst Eric Ham, co-author of The GOP Civil War: Inside the Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party, said the student-led university protests are just the latest sign of public disdain for the Biden administration’s role in Israel’s war on Gaza. “We have already begun to see the impacts that these protests, that these demonstrations [are having], but more importantly, the backlash that many people are feeling about President Biden’s handling of this conflict,” Ham told Al Jazeera. The chaotic scenes at UCLA came just hours after New York police burst into a building occupied by antiwar protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday night, breaking up a demonstration that had paralysed the school. A tally by The Associated Press news agency counted at least 38 times since April 18 where arrests were made at campus protests across the US. More than 1,600 people have been arrested at 30 schools. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/2/tensions-high-at-ucla-as-police-order-pro-palestinian-protesters-to-leave

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/2/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-still-denying-aid-to-north-gaza-says-un

A fresh rain and snowfall spell brought life in Gilgit-Baltistan to a standstill, leaving thousands of people stranded on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) after it was blocked at various points due to landslides triggered by the deluge. According to rescue officials, intermittent rain continued across GB and adjoining areas on Tues­day, with KKH blocked at two loc­a­tions in Basari and Lotter in Koh­istan due to landslides. The Gilgit-Nagar section of the Karakoram Highway was also blocked along with blockades in Gandlo Nullah and Tatapani (Chilas). The Baltis­tan Road was also blocked at two points in Roundu, Skardu, due to mudslides. The Chilas section, however, was opened to traffic by the time this report went to press. Some parts of the region, including areas in the Gilgit city, also faced communication outages due to untimely snowfall received in the upper areas of Astore, Skardu, Hunza, Nagar, Ghanche, Khar­mang, Shigar, and Ghizer. Like­wise, the flight link of the GB region remained suspended due to bad weather conditions. Accor­ding to the Civil Aviation Autho­rity, the first regular international flight from Skardu to Dubai scheduled to start on Monday was cancelled due to weather. AFP adds: At least 143 people died in Pakistan from lightning strikes and other storm-related incidents in April, with the country receiving more than twice as much rain as usual for the month, AFP said citing unnamed officials. Pakistan saw a rainfall “increase of 164 per cent above the normal levels in April, which is very unusual”, said Zaheer Ahmad Babar, spokesperson for the Pakistan Meteorological Department. The largest death toll for April was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 83 people died, including 38 children, and where more than 3,500 homes have been damaged. Environmental expert Maryam Shabbir Abbasi told AFP that overall weather patterns had shifted by “about a month and a half, and we should shift our calendars for the agriculture sector accordingly to avoid damages caused by unprecedented rainfall”. Officials earlier this month said several people, including farmers harvesting wheat, were killed by lightning in Punjab, and that a total of 21 people were killed in different rain-related incidents. Another 21 deaths were reported in Balochistan in April, including seven people who were struck by lightning, with rain disrupting life in some districts and causing school closures. In parts of Azad Kashmir, 14 people were killed, and at least four were killed in road accidents linked to floods in Sindh. Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1830735/gilgit-baltistan-cut-off-as-rains-trigger-landslides

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/1/live-us-university-protests-spread-amid-growing-calls-to-end-gaza-war

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/1/israels-war-on-gaza-live-un-chiefs-warn-israel-against-assault-on-rafah

Police in the United States have clashed with students at a university in the city of Austin, Texas, and arrested dozens as they dismantled an encampment set up to protest Israel’s war on Gaza. The arrests at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) on Monday came as Columbia University in New York City also began suspending students after they defied an ultimatum to disperse. The protesters are calling their universities to cut ties with Israel, which some experts at the United Nations say is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli forces have killed at least 34,488 Palestinians since October 7, when fighters from Hamas launched unprecedented attacks inside southern Israel, killing 1,139 people and taking dozens captive. The protests have upended university campuses across the US, with the number of arrests approaching 1,000 as the final days of classes wrap up. At UT Austin, an attorney said at least 40 demonstrators had been arrested on Monday on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct, some of them by officers in riot gear who encircled about 100 sitting protesters, dragging or carrying them out one by one amid screams. Another group of demonstrators trapped police and a van full of detainees between buildings, creating a mass of bodies pushing and shoving and prompting the officers to use pepper spray and flash-bang devices to clear the crowd. The confrontation was an escalation on the 53,000-student campus in the state’s capital, where more than 50 protestors were arrested last week. The university late on Monday issued a statement saying that many of Monday’s protesters were not affiliated with the school and that encampments are prohibited on campus. The school also alleged that some demonstrators were “physically and verbally combative” with university staff, prompting officials to call law enforcement. Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from UT Austin, described the clashes as an “extraordinary turn of events”. “What began as a silent protest on Monday morning by faculty in opposition to the way UT Austin administration has been responding to these protests has now erupted into conflict,” she said. “The 43 arrested were part of the encampment that began this afternoon, with people setting up tents and forming a circle around it, refusing to disperse. We saw police descend on those protesters just moments after the tents went up. The police encircled them, began arresting them one by one, picking them up off the ground and dragging them away from the line.” As soon as police cleared the encampment, other students began rallying on the area, said Zhou-Castro. Some of them were holding umbrellas to protect against pepper spray. Police, too, were out in force, blocking the path to the area where the encampment had stood. One student, who identified himself as Hadi, condemned the university’s attempts to silence the protesters and said they were determined to continue, “What trumps our fear is our love for Palestine, and our love for liberation, and our refusal to accept subjugation and censorship from an oppressive institution,” he said. Suspensions at Columbia The Texas protest and others grew out of Columbia’s early demonstrations that have continued. On Monday, student activists on the school’s Manhattan campus defied a 2pm deadline to leave an encampment of around 120 tents. If they left by the deadline and signed a form committing to abide by university policies through June 2025, officials said they could finish the semester in good standing. If not, they would be suspended, pending further investigation. Instead, student groups were defiant, pledging to continue their activism on behalf of the Palestinian civilians harmed by Israel’s war in Gaza. “WE WILL NOT STOP, WE WILL NOT REST!!” one group, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, wrote on social media. “We will continue until our demands are met. We will not be intimidated.” Hundreds of protesters remained on campus, marching around the quad and weaving around piles of temporary flooring and green carpeting meant for graduation ceremonies that are supposed to begin next week. While the university did not call police to remove the demonstrators, school spokesperson Ben Chang said suspensions had started. He said that while the university appreciated the free speech rights of students, the encampment was a “noisy distraction” that was interfering with teaching and preparation for for final exams. The university said it will offer an alternative venue for the protests after exams and graduation. Earlier, the university administration announced that its negotiations with student protesters have fallen through, and said “the current unauthorised encampment and disruption on Columbia University’s campus is creating an unwelcoming environment for members of our community”. Freedom of speech The Columbia and Texas demonstrations are just two of several high-profile university protests unfolding across the country, including at Yale, George Washington University and the University of California, Los Angeles, prompting questions about academic freedom and free speech. On April 18, New York police arrested an estimated 108 students protesting on Columbia’s campus, including Isra Hirsi, the daughter of US House Representative Ilhan Omar, at the request of school administrators. School administrators have been under pressure to crack down on alleged incidents of anti-Semitism on their campuses, though the student organisers behind the protests have denounced those allegations as false and misleading. Al Jazeera correspondent Kristen Saloomey, reporting from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, said that the encampment there had been largely peaceful, with no indication of violent rhetoric or actions. “The university is saying that the students are violating policies as to who can set up on campus, and what can be done on campus,” Saloomey said, “although what we’ve seen here today has been pretty quiet and pretty calm, and they aren’t blocking any of the buildings or any of the entrances”. Observing the George Washington University campus in Washington, DC, Al Jazeera correspondent Shihab Rattansi said that administrators appear to be behind much of the calls for police intervention in the protests. “It’s the university administrators – who are supposed to be wanting freedom of speech and thought and critical engagement with the issues of the day