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Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/16/israels-war-on-gaza-live-will-the-netanyahu-government-attack-rafah

An earthquake jolted several parts of the country including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, and their adjoining areas. The tremors were felt in several cities including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan, Kohat, Swat, Lower Dir, Malakand, as well as in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Muzaffarabad. The magnitude of the quake was 5.3 on Richter Scale which jolted the aforementioned regions at 8:24pm. The epicentre of the earthquake was the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, and its depth was 130 kilometres, according to the seismic centre. Natural disasters such as earthquakes are not uncommon in Pakistan, as the country is situated on the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Large parts of South Asia are seismically active because a tectonic plate known as the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate. Recent earthquakes underscore the importance of disaster preparedness and mitigation measures. Source: https://thenews.com.pk/latest/1167769-earthquake-hits-islamabad-peshawar

Ukraine has launched drone attacks on at least three oil refineries deep inside Russia, as Kyiv intensifies its cross-border strikes days before President Vladimir Putin’s anticipated re-election. A Ukrainian defense source told CNN on Wednesday that Ukraine is “implementing a well-planned strategy to decrease Russian economic potential.” It struck three Russian oil refineries targeted in the cities of Ryazan, about 130 miles southeast of Moscow; Kstovo, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, nearly 300 miles east of the capital; and Kirishi in Russia’s northwest. The trio of facilities are among Russia’s largest refineries, the source said. A fourth facility – the Novoshakhtinsky oil refinery in Rostov-on-Don – was also hit, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said Wednesday. It marked the second consecutive day of Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy sites, and the locations targeted represent a spate of attacks well within Russia’s territory. “Our goal is to take away our enemy’s resources and decrease the flow of oil money and fuel Russia is using directly on the war,” the source told CNN. They came after a chaotic day on the Russian side of the Ukrainian border, during which pro-Ukrainian groups of Russian fighters said they launched cross-border attacks and claimed to have gained control of the village of Tyotkino in Russia’s Kursk region. The village remained under fire “all day” on Wednesday, the regional governor said. The border region of Belgorod has taken the brunt of Ukraine’s cross-border attacks during the war. Stringer/AFP/Getty Images The fallout from the attack continued into Wednesday. The Freedom for Russia Legion, a group of Russian dissidents fighting for Ukraine which has previously claimed responsibility for incursions into Russia, said in a series of posts on Telegram on Wednesday that its fighters had destroyed a command center in the village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region, and were advancing further. CNN cannot independently verify the group’s claims. However, CNN was able to geolocate video footage posted by the group that shows a building engulfed in smoke and flames that was located in Tyotkino. “There was a control center and there is no control center,” the group said. “We are bringing a crisis to the bloody regime’s defense industry closer.” Strikes come as Russia’s election nears Russia’s defense ministry said Wednesday its air defenses destroyed 58 Ukrainian drones overnight, including some that traveled as far as the Leningrad region, which borders Finland, supporting Kyiv’s claims. al governor in Ryazan, Pavel Malkov, said a fire broke out at the facility there but has since been extinguished. He said two people were injured. Social media video from the refinery complex, one of Russia’s largest, showed a large plume of smoke billowing from a building in the distance. Later on Wednesday, Andrii Yusov of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said the Novoshakhtinsky oil refinery in Rostov-on-Don had been attacked but that Kyiv has not confirmed involvement. “Despite the fact that it seems to be an oil plant, it is a military facility used to supply and maintain the occupation forces,” Yusov said during an interview on national television. “The company’s operations are currently suspended. This means that the enemy will have problems and disruptions in their plans and our defenders will have additional opportunities and time.” A day earlier, Russian authorities reported at least 25 drone attacks, with local officials in the Oryol and Nizhny Novgorod regions reporting hits to fuel and energy facilities. No casualties have been reported from either Tuesday or Wednesday’s attacks. But an apparent cross-border incursion on Tuesday saw attacks launched in the village of Odnorobovka in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, and in the nearby Russian villages of Nekhoteevka and Spodariushino in Belgorod, according to Russian authorities. Russia’s Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said 10 civilians were injured and six were hospitalized in the region on Tuesday. In the neighboring Kursk region, the Russian village of Tyotkino has been under fire “all day” on Wednesday after pro-Ukrainian groups said they had it under control, the region’s Governor Roman Starovoyt said. A building and a store have been damaged, he said. “As soon as it is safe to do so, a door-to-door search will be carried out in the village. We will certainly provide assistance to all owners of damaged property in its restoration,” Starovoyt said. As well as targeting Russia’s deep oil reserves, Kyiv’s latest strikes may be partially intended to bring home to Russians the impact of the war just as the country prepares for a presidential election. The vote is essentially certain to hand Putin a fifth term, extending his rule into the 2030s. Voting will take place over three days from Friday, with the president sailing towards another spell in power in a ballot that is not considered free or fair and in which he faces no genuine competition. During a lengthy interview on state television channel Rossiya 1 on Wednesday, Putin said Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and Kursk are happening amid Kyiv’s “failures” on the battlefield. “All this is happening against the backdrop of failures on the line of contact, on the front line. They did not achieve any of the goals they set for themselves last year,” Putin said. “Against the backdrop of those failures, they need to show at least something, and, mainly, attention should be focused on the information side of the matter.” Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/13/europe/ukraine-russia-drone-strikes-putin-intl/index.html

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/14/israels-war-on-gaza-live-rafah-attack-coming-soon-despite-pressure

A three-storey residential building, which was in a dilapidated condition, collapsed on Tuesday in Multan’s Mohalla Jawadian near Haram Gate, leaving nine people including three women dead.  Meanwhile, two people sustained injuries in the incident and are critically injured. They are being treated at the Nishtar Hospital, said Rescue 1122’s District Emergency Officer Dr Kaleem Ullah.  According to the DEO, they received a call about the mishap at around 3:30am after which the teams rushed to the site to start rescue operation. He added that a total of 11 people were stuck under the debris after the building collapsed out of which nine lost their lives.  Moreover, seven people, who were among the dead, belonged to the same family. Children aged 12 to 15 years are also among the dead, said the district administration. The deceased were identified as Danish (15), Faheem Abbas (40), Ameer Ali (12), Waseem (14), Sanoobar (40), Bukhtawar Ameen (18) and Komal (13). Moreover, Waqar and Mussarat Bibi sustained serious injuries and were shifted to the hospital. “The rescue operation has been completed,” said DEO Kaleem. In a similar incident which happened in December last year, nine members of the same family, including a mother and her eight children, were killed in a tragic incident after a roof of their house collapsed due to fire caused by a short-circuit. The Rescue 1122, along with three ambulances and locals made concerted efforts to extinguish the fire and rescue the residents. Unfortunately, the wood and clay house quickly caught fire, impeding rescue activities. The deceased persons were identified as the wife of Zakir, four daughters and four sons, including Hashim, Qasim, Hasan, and Sufyan. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1167302-nine-dead-two-injured-after-dilapidated-building-collapses-in-multan

Ten children are among those injured in the missile attack on apartment buildings as rescue teams search for survivors. A Russian missile has hit two apartment buildings in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing three people and injuring at least 38, with rescue teams sifting through rubble in a night-time search for survivors. Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, put the provisional injury toll from the attack on Tuesday at 28 adults and 10 children. “Two buildings were hit, one five storeys, one nine storeys,” Lysak wrote on Telegram. “The number of injured is constantly rising as is the number of children injured.” Video of the scene showed a blaze that erupted at the top of one apartment block and rescue teams carrying the injured out of shattered building entrances. “The emergency services and residents who care are rescuing residents blocked in their apartments and are continuing to search for anyone who might be under the rubble,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote. “Four people have already been rescued.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was born and raised in Kryvyi Rih, said on Telegram that search operations “will continue as long as they are needed.” In his evening address, he said: “We will inflict losses on the Russian state in response – quite rightly. They in the Kremlin must learn that terror does not go unpunished for them.” The city of Kryvyi Rih has been frequently targeted by Russian forces throughout the conflict. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/12/russian-missile-attack-apartment-buildings-kryvyi-rih-ukraine

Israel sabotaging ceasefire negotiations: Palestinian refugee rights groupBadil, a resource centre for refugee rights, has blamed Israel for sabotaging ceasefire talks.It cites the following examples: The call for a permanent ceasefire is denied by Israel for the sake of a temporary truce or pauseInstead of the provision of unrestricted humanitarian aid, Israel weaponises aid and obstructs UN agencies’ operationsInstead of a military withdrawal from Gaza, Israel plans to “redeploy” Israeli forces in the besieged enclaveThe call to allow the return of all displaced Palestinians is denied. Instead, Israel proposes the return of only women and children Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/13/israels-war-on-gaza-live-netanyahu-vows-to-finish-the-job-in-rafah

The first fatal attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea since Iran-backed Houthi rebels began targeting ships late last year has laid bare the enormous challenge of restoring safe passage along one of the world’s most important trade routes. At least three crew members were killed and four others injured in the assault Wednesday on the M/V True Confidence, a Liberian-owned bulk carrier, one of the ships that transport dry cargo such as grain and iron ore. The deadly strike marks a significant escalation of the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and and comes despite a US-led naval coalition to protect the crucial waterway. It also follows an assault late last month that sank a cargo ship, which is now discharging fertilizer into the ocean. Fewer ships appear to be transiting through the Red Sea and adjoining Suez Canal after the latest attack, according to maritime risks analytics company Windward. Transits have already dropped substantially since December when carriers started avoiding the area and rerouting vessels around the southern tip of Africa. Windward said the number of bulk carriers anchoring outside ports to the north and south of the Suez Canal surged 225% Wednesday compared with the previous day. “Our data shows that 61% of these (anchored) after 13:30 UTC (18:30 ET), which was the time of the attack,” Windward CEO Ami Daniel told CNN. He expects the attack will lead to even larger numbers of bulk carriers avoiding the Canal, through which 10-15% of world trade and 30% of container trade passes. “The propensity that something will happen is higher than people thought and the severity of the impact, once something happens, is (worse) than people thought,” he added. Windward data shows that last month the number of bulk carriers in the Red Sea was already at its lowest level in two years. Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/07/business/houthi-red-sea-attack-shipping-costs/index.html

Security forces gunned down two militants including a terrorist ring leader in separate operations in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday night, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. In a brief statement released on Thursday, the ISPR said that a terrorist ring leader named Shamrooz alias Sheenay was killed in an intense exchange of fire between the militants and security forces during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber district. Meanwhile, another terrorist named Mansoor was also neutralised in a separate operation in the Dera Ismail Khan district, the military’s media wing stated. It said that the slain terrorists remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion and target killings of innocent civilians, and were highly wanted by law enforcement agencies. The statement said that weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also recovered from the slain terrorists. ISPR further stated that sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. The area locals appreciated the operations conducted by the forces and expressed their full support to the military in eliminating the menace of terrorism. Pakistan witnessed a spike in terrorist attacks in Balochistan and KP provinces during the past few months which also marred the pre-election phase in some provincial pockets. In response, the security forces also intensified actions against the terrorism-hit areas and achieved success by restoring peace in the affected parts, especially in areas bordering Afghanistan. Last week, three terrorists were gunned down and four others injured during an exchange of fire with Pakistani security forces in an IBO in KP’s Karak district.  Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1165566-security-forces-kill-terrorist-ring-leader-another-militant-in-kp-ibos

US’ Austin stresses ‘critical need’ to surge Gaza aid in call with GallantUS Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has told his Israeli counterpart that it is a “critical need” to surge humanitarian aid through all possible entry points in Gaza.Austin spoke on the phone with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant about Israeli operations in Gaza, according to a statement by Pentagon.In the call, Austin also stressed the need to ensure the safe distribution of aid once delivered to Gaza.“Austin and Minister Gallant discussed the urgent need to secure the immediate release of hostages held captive by Hamas,” the Pentagon statement said.Click here to share on social media