Author name: admin

US President Joe Biden on Friday pledged to stand by Pakistan’s new government in taking on challenges facing the country and the region, in a sign of thawing of relations that had gone cold after the cipher controversy stirred up the Imran Khan-led government. Biden expressed these views in first dimplomatic outreach to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The US commander-in-chief in his letter emphasised the importance of the partnership between the two nations in ensuring regional and global security. Furthermore, Biden underscored shared priorities in areas such as public health, economic development, and education, affirming a commitment to advancing together.  He also expressed Washington’s desire to strengthen the alliance with Pakistan, particularly through initiatives like the US-Pakistan Green Alliance Framework aimed at environmental improvement. “The enduring partnership between our nations remains critical to ensuring the security of our people — and people around the world — and the United States will continue to stand with Pakistan to tackle the most pressing global and regional challenges of our time,” Biden wrote in the letter. “That includes advancing our shared vision for a future of greater health security, economic growth, and access to education for all.” “Through our US-Pakistan “Green Alliance” framework, we will also continue to strengthen our climate resilience, support sustainable agriculture and water management, and assist with Pakistan’s recovery from the devastating floods in 2022,” he added. Referring to the aftermath of the devastating floods in 2022, the US president doubled down on the commitment to support Islamabad in recovery efforts, as well as initiatives related to water management and agricultural development. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1173613-in-first-letter-biden-says-us-not-to-leave-pakistan-alone-in-face-of-global-regional-challenges

One year after the start of the war in Sudan, children are dying of hunger and sick people are not buying medicine so that they can afford food as the population slips towards famine. In mid-April last year, a rivalry between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamad Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo broke into open conflict. Since then, the fighting and significant destruction, paired with much lower agricultural production, have sent food prices soaring and made it extremely hard to find enough to eat. “Civilians are dying in silence,” said Mukhtar Atif, a spokesperson for the “emergency response rooms” (ERRs), a volunteer network helping civilians across the country. Atif’s network provides a single meal a day to about 45,000 people out of about 70 community kitchens in Khartoum North, one of the three cities of the national capital region. The ERRs are a lifeline for thousands across Sudan, but their access is limited at times and they rely on donations, most of which come via mobile banking apps, impossible to use since a near-total communication outage began in February. Without it, hundreds of kitchens were forced to close, and the queues got even longer at the few still functioning, people standing for hours for little more than a pot of fuul, a traditional dish of stewed fava beans. While battles mostly centred in Khartoum in the beginning, they spread outwards as each of the parties consolidated power in the areas it controlled. The fighting has severely restricted the regular movement of food and aid convoys, and the hunger crisis in Sudan has deepened. Nearly 25 million people – half Sudan’s population – need aid, the UN has estimated. The conflict has forced more than eight million people to flee their homes, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. A UN source, who asked that their name be withheld due to the subject’s sensitivity, said both warring sides are posing obstacles, trying to prevent food from getting to areas controlled by their rival. The army has imposed bureaucratic hurdles: An aid convoy in Port Sudan, under the control of the army, needs five different stamps before being able to move to reach civilians in need – a process that can take from days to weeks, the source said. In January, more than 70 trucks were left waiting for clearance for more than two weeks. Al Jazeera reached out to an army representative to ask whether it prevented aid from reaching areas under RSF’s control. By the time of publication, the army had not replied. Where the paramilitaries hold sway, the RSF’s command and control structures make it challenging to facilitate access on the ground, due to a lack of communication between those on the ground and higher-up officials within the RSF. More than 70 aid trucks have been stuck in North Kordofan state since October, the source said, in an area the army controls but surrounded by RSF. The convoy cannot leave unless their safe passage is guaranteed through some form of taxation, be it money, goods or fuel. RSF spokesperson, Abdel Rahman al-Jaali, did not respond to written questions about whether his forces are profiteering from aid convoys as alleged.Play Video Connectivity and desperation The food crisis has been compounded by the nearly two-month mobile network shutdown, which has also cut people off from remittances sent by relatives overseas, a critical lifeline for many that they have been using to receive via mobile banking apps. Over the past three weeks, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communication service has offered rare moments of connectivity. But even that has become a business: In some areas, people have to pay up to 4,000 Sudanese pounds ($6.60) to connect for 10 minutes. Without cash, people have begun resorting to extreme mechanisms to put food on the table. Parents are skipping meals for their children, selling their last possessions, begging for money or diverting money from medicine to food, WFP officials and activists on the ground said. Dallia Abdelmoniem, a political commentator working in policy and advocacy for Sudanese think tank Fikra, received reports of women forced to exchange sex for food or become mistresses to RSF fighters to ensure their families’ safety and access to food. A second activist who has been working with female victims of gender-based violence in Sudan said survival sex has emerged as a “common trend”. In tandem with the hunger crisis is the collapse of the healthcare system. Each week, two or three children die of hunger at the Al-Baluk Hospital, the only remaining functioning paediatric health facility in the capital, Khartoum, according to a Lancet report on March 16. UK charity Save the Children said 230,000 children, pregnant women and new mothers could die in the coming months due to hunger.Play Video Video Duration 03 minutes 10 seconds03:10 A bleak forecast All these factors have paved the way for a humanitarian catastrophe, experts and aid groups have warned, as May’s lean season – when food stores are depleted and prices are at their highest – approaches. But food monitoring groups and UN agencies have warned that the season has already begun, as fighting has forced farmers to abandon their land. Sudan’s cereal production in 2023 was nearly halved, according to a report published last week by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The sharpest reductions were reported where conflict was most intense, including the greater Kordofan state and regions in Darfur where FAO estimated production was 80 percent below average. Nearly five million people are one step away from famine, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). Another 18 million people face acute food insecurity, a threefold increase since 2019, WFP data shows. In December, the RSF captured Gezira state – a hub for trade and humanitarian operations and Sudan’s breadbasket that used to produce nearly half the country’s wheat and stock nearly all of its grain. “We are expecting the situation to deteriorate with a real possibility to see hunger at catastrophic

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/29/israels-war-on-gaza-live-netanyahu-says-army-preparing-to-enter-rafah

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian (right) addresses the press conference on March 27, 2024, and security officials inspecting site of the attack near Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bisham city on March 26, 2024. — Chinese foreign ministry/AFP Following a suicide attack on Chinese engineers in Pakistan yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian has said that both countries have the resolve and capability to make terrorists pay the price and no attempt to sabotage bilateral cooperation will even succeed. “Beijing remains firm in its commitment to working with Islamabad in various fields,” Jian made the statement while addressing a regular press conference on Wednesday after a fierce terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district targeting a vehicle, resulting in killing of a woman among five Chinese nationals, and a Pakistani driver on Tuesday. “Our two countries are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. Our iron-clad friendship is deeply rooted in the two peoples,” he added. “We strongly condemn this act of terrorism. We express deep condolences over the lives lost and extend sincere sympathies to the bereaved families. We have previously stated our position on this incident,” Jian reacted to the Shangla attack in which a suicide bomber crashed his explosives-laden car into the vehicle carrying the victims. He elaborated that Chinese foreign ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan activated the emergency response mechanism and swiftly engaged in emergency response and close communication with Pakistan both in Beijing and Islamabad. “We asked Pakistan to speed up the hunt for the perpetrators, punish them by law, let justice be done for the victims, and take effective steps to protect the safety and security of Chinese personnel in Pakistan. “Pakistan promised to thoroughly investigate the incident, provide timely updates on the progress of the investigation, strengthen security measures for Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan, and ensure the safety of Chinese nationals in Pakistan. Relevant work is proceeding in an orderly way.” The official appreciated response from some countries which condemned the terrorist attack and extended condolences over the Chinese victims. “We reiterate that terrorism is a common enemy of humanity. It’s the shared responsibility of the global community to fight terrorism and stop such tragedies from happening again,” he added. Reitering Beijing’s response, Jian said: “China firmly supports Pakistan in fighting terrorism. We are solid in our commitment to the safety and security of Chinese nationals, institutions and projects overseas.” It was not the first time that Chinese nationals came under attack in Dasu, the site of a major dam, as 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed in an explosion in 2021. Chinese engineers are currently working on a number of projects in Pakistan with Beijing investing over $65 billion in infrastructure works as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under Beijing’s wider Belt and Road initiative. No one claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, nor was there a claim for the 2021 attack. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1172928-china-pakistan-resolve-to-make-terrorists-pay-the-price-lin-jian

Ukraine launched a devastating missile strike against Russian military targets in the Crimean port of Sevastopol late on Saturday, further debilitating Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The combination of a reported 40 Storm Shadow missiles, decoy missiles and drones damaged a communications centre, the Yamal and the Azov, two Ropucha-class landing ships, and other infrastructure, possibly including an oil depot. The Yamal was especially badly damaged. Ukrainian military intelligence said it was listing to starboard with a large hole in its top deck two days later, and Russian crews had to keep pumping its bilges to keep the ship afloat. The damage to the Yamal and the Azov reportedly left Russia with just three of its landing ships operational, from an original fleet of 13 at the start of the war. Ukrainian military intelligence coordinated a seaborne attack using Ukrainian Magura V5 surface drones to coincide with the aerial attack. The surface drones also struck the repair yard where the Yamal was moored, said deputy military intelligence chief Vadym Skibitskyi, and additionally damaged the Ivan Khurs reconnaissance ship. Apart from the moral satisfaction of putting the Yamal out of action – it had taken part in the capture of Crimea in 2014 – Ukraine had a practical benefit. Sevastopol is reportedly the only Black Sea facility capable of loading Kalibr ballistic missiles onto Russian submarines and ships, and strikes on the port have reduced the number of vessels carrying these missiles, which are particularly difficult to intercept. Ukraine’s attack came a day after Russia launched a massive aerial attack on energy and other infrastructure in Ukraine, using 151 drones and missiles launched from both Russia and occupied Crimea. Ukraine’s General Staff said their defences shot down 55 of the 63 Shahed drones used and 37 of the 88 missiles of various types. The remainder caused power and water outages that Ukrainian authorities said were later restored. “Russian strikes on energy infrastructure … likely aim to collapse the energy grid in part to stall Ukrainian efforts to rapidly expand its [defence industrial base],” said the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank. Russia falls down on security at home Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure have also aimed to undermine Ukrainians’ sense of security and support for the war. But on the day of Russia’s large-scale strike, it was Russian insecurity that was heightened. Four gunmen massacred at least 133 Russian civilians at the Crocus City Hall concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow. The Islamic State in Khorasan, a Taliban splinter group, later claimed responsibility. Even so, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other public figures attempted to blame Ukraine for the attack. “Who benefits from this?” asked Putin in a televised address on Monday. “This atrocity may be only a link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been fighting our country since 2014 at the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime. And the Nazis, as is well known, never disdained to use the most dirty and inhumane means to achieve their goals,” Putin said. Russian authorities arrested four Tajik nationals they said were trying to escape to Ukraine in a van with a Ukrainian numberplate. The explanation did not travel well outside Russia. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said the van was possibly headed for his country as they were arrested on Russian territory adjacent to Belarus. The US embassy in Moscow had issued a warning to avoid large gatherings on March 7, and Washington said its intelligence agencies had followed a duty to warn policy, passing on intelligence directly to Russian authorities. Putin dismissed these and other warnings as “outright blackmail” and “an attempt to intimidate and destabilise our society” three days before the attack – meaning the failure to respond to intelligence came from the top. “The terrorists’ car was stopped near Bryansk, which is in western Russia, and so vaguely near Ukraine, which means that the four Tajiks in a Renault were intending to cross the Ukrainian border, which means that they had Ukrainian backers, which means that it was a Ukrainian operation, which means that the Americans were behind it,” wrote Yale University history professor Timothy Snyder. “The reasoning here leaves something to be desired.  And the series of associations rests on no factual basis.” Russians gunning for Chasiv Yar Russian forces continued to make minor advances in Ukraine’s east during the past week. They have taken the offensive initiative this year, and have been inching forward since the fall of Avdiivka on February 17. On March 20, Ukrainian forces said they repelled a “massive” attack at the northern end of the front in Kharkiv that thrust towards Lyman. The assault left the Russian positions marginally ahead of where they had been a day earlier. Further south, in the Donetsk region, Russian forces seemed to fix their sights on Chasiv Yar, west of Bakhmut, which fell last May. During the week they appeared to gradually swallow two settlements, Bohdanivka and Ivanivske, which lie northeast and southeast of Chasiv Yar, respectively. Seizing Chasiv Yar “would be more operationally significant than the Russian seizure of Avdiivka”, said the Institute for the Study of War. For a start, it would mean Ukrainian forces could no longer harass Russian logistics convoys in occupied territory east of Bakhmut and would have to bring artillery into harm’s way to disrupt Russian logistics closer to the front lines. More importantly, Chasiv Yar would bring Russian forces much closer to their objective of capturing the last major urban centres of Donetsk – Konstyantynivka, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk – said the ISW. “Available imagery, which ISW will not present or describe in greater detail at this time to preserve Ukrainian operational security, shows that Ukrainian forces have established significant fortifications in a ring shape in the Chasiv Yar area, and Russian forces will likely struggle to break through these defences at their current offensive tempo in the area,” said the ISW. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/28/kyiv-targets-russias-navy-as-moscows-forces-inch-ahead-in-eastern-ukraine

After a dastardly terrorist attack that killed six including five Chinese nationals in Shangla on Tuesday, the military pledged to ensure accountability of all the elements involved in aiding terrorism, directly or indirectly, with the help of Pakistan’s long-standing ally China, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday. As the country witnessed rise in terrorism, another militant attack sent shock waves across the country when an explosives-laden vehicle crashed into a car carrying five Chinese engineers in Shangla’s Besham city while they rode to Dasu camp, Kohistan from Islamabad, killing all passengers including a woman and Pakistani national driver.  “Certain foreign elements are complicit in aiding and abetting terrorism in Pakistan, driven by their vested interests. Despite the veneer of innocence, these elements are being continuously exposed as sponsors of terror,” the military’s media wing said in a statement condemning the attack. It said that the recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan, notably in Gwadar, Turbat, and Besham, are dastardly acts aimed at destabilising the internal security situation. While the first two attempts were successfully thwarted by the armed forces, the latest incident in Besham led to the loss of six innocent civilians including five Chinese nationals. The whole nation stands in solidarity with our Chinese brothers and unequivocally condemned this cowardly act, the ISPR added. “Strategic projects and sensitive sites vital for Pakistan’s economic progress and the well-being of its people are being targeted as a conscious effort to retard our progress and sow discord between Pakistan and its strategic allies and partners, most notably China,” it said. The military’s media wing further stated that such heinous acts of violence against innocent civilians, foreigners and the armed forces will not deter the resolve of the Pakistani people, its security forces and our partners to root out the menace of terrorism from the country. “Pakistan, as the frontline state against terror, remains perhaps the only nation directly confronting the international terrorist enterprise with absolute steadfastness and full resolve of the state. “With the unwavering support of the resilient nation and our iron-clad ally China, we will ensure that all those involved in aiding terrorism, directly or indirectly, are held accountable and find their due comeuppance. Together we will prevail over adversity and evil,” it added. The attack Confirming attack on Chinese nationals, Malakand deputy inspector general of police (DIG) said that a Pakistani citizen who was driving the targeted car was injured in the attack and was shifted to a local hospital. Later, the driver succumbed to his wounds during treatment. After the attack, a heavy contingent of security personnel arrived at the incident’s site and cordoned off the area. Security forces have launched a search operation in the area for the suspects. Taking notice of the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the Chinese embassy in Islamabad and extended condolences to the Chinese ambassador over the unfortunate incident. Earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also visited the embasy informed the Chinese ambassador about the details of the attack and deaths of Chinese engineers. Reacting to the incident, President Asif Ali Zardari, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulber Khan, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Punjab, KP and Sindh chief ministers and others strongly condemned the attack, saying that such efforts to harm Pakistan’s ties with China will never get successful. Today’s attack follows a militant attack on Pakistan Navy base, PNS Siddique in Turbat, which was successfully foiled by the security forces, as the country witnesses a spike in such attacks, resulting in deaths of several civilians and law enforcement officials. A fierce terrorist attack on a security forces’ check post in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, KP on March 16, resulted in martyrdom of seven Pakistan Army soldiers — including a lieutenant colonel and captain. The military has said that the continuous use of Afghan soil is behind the “growing terrorism in Pakistan”, saying that the rise in terror attacks is a result of supply of modern weapons into the country “with the help of Afghan Taliban”. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1172553-army-vows-action-against-perpetrators-of-shangla-attack-as-chinese-engineers-among-6-killed

At least five people have been killed when a bus travelling from Berlin to Switzerland veered off a highway in eastern Germany and ended up on its side, police say. “Numerous” others were injured in the incident on the A9 motorway near Leipzig about 9:45am (08:45 GMT) on Wednesday, police in the state of Saxony said on the social media platform X. The A9 is an important north-south motorway linking the German capital to Munich. It was closed in both directions after the crash. It was not immediately clear why the bus, which was operated by Flixbus and was en route to Zurich, went off the road. Rescue helicopters and ambulances were at the scene. Flixbus said 53 passengers and two drivers were on board, the German Press Agency dpa reported. The company said it was working closely with local authorities and rescue services and would do everything to clear up the cause of the accident quickly. At the Deaconess Hospital in Leipzig, the emergency department was alerted, and operating theatres and diagnostic rooms were being prepared and kept on standby, a spokesperson said. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/27/germany-flixbus-crash-at-least-five-killed-as-coach-veers-off-highway

UN expert who found Israel committed genocide says she has been threatenedFrancesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the West Bank and Gaza, says she had received threats throughout her mandate.Albanese presented a report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday in which she said there were reasonable grounds to believe genocide had been committed against Palestinians in Gaza.“I do receive threats. Nothing that so far I considered needing extra precautions. Pressure? Yes. And it doesn’t change either my commitment or the results of my work,” she said, according to the Reuters news service.Click here to share on social media

The four men suspected of carrying out a brutal attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed at least 139 people have appeared in court on terror charges, as the Kremlin defended its security services criticized for failing to prevent the massacre. Three of the suspects were bent double as they were marched into the Moscow courtroom late on Sunday night, while the fourth was in a wheelchair and appeared unresponsive. The suspects, who are from the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan but worked in Russia on temporary or expired visas, were named by Moscow City Court as Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Mukhammadsobir Faizov. They face a maximum sentence of life in prison. They are accused of storming Crocus City Hall in a Moscow suburb on Friday, shooting civilians at point blank before setting the building on fire, causing the roof to collapse while concert-goers were still inside. ISIS claimed responsibility for the massacre and released graphic footage showing the incident – but Moscow has insinuated, without evidence, that the perpetrators planned to flee to Ukraine. Kyiv has vehemently denied involvement and called the Kremlin’s claims “absurd.” At a meeting with other government officials on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin conceded the attack had been carried out by “radical Islamists,” but still tried to pin ultimate responsibility on Ukraine. “We know that the crime was committed by radical Islamists, whose ideology the Islamic world itself has been fighting for centuries,” Putin said, but added that the attack “is a link in a series of attempts of those who have been fighting Russia since 2014 with the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime.” The first suspect charged, Mirzoyev, had a black eye, bruises over his face and a plastic bag wrapped around his neck. Mirzoyev, 32, had a temporary resident permit for three months in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, but it had expired, Russian state media RIA Novosti reported. Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, a suspect in the shooting attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue, sits behind a glass wall of an enclosure for defendants at the Basmanny district court in Moscow, March 24, 2024. Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters Rachabalizoda, born in 1994, told the court through an interpreter that he has Russian registration documents but could not remember where they are. He appeared in court with a swollen eye and a bandaged ear. The third defendant, Fariduni, born in 1998, was employed at a factory in the industrial city of Podolsk and registered in Krasnogorsk, both near Moscow. The three men pleaded guilty to the terrorism charges, Russian media reported. It was unclear what the fourth man, Faizov, born in 2004, pled. He was pictured lying limp in a wheelchair inside a glass cage. One video appears to show Rachabalizoda being held on the ground while having part of his ear cut off and stuffed in his mouth by a camouflage-wearing interpreter. Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Russian state propaganda network RT, posted a video of Rachabalizoda appearing in court with a heavily bandaged ear, which she wrote made her “feel nothing but pleasure.” CNN asked the Kremlin about the “visible signs of violence” committed against the suspects, but spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment. The four have been remanded into pre-trial detention until May 2022, the court said. Later Monday, Russia’s Investigative Committee asked the court to detain three other men – two brothers and their father – in connection with the attack, Russian state media TASS reported. Mukhammadsobir Faizov, a suspect in the shooting attack, appeared unresponsive in court, on Sunday. Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters On Monday, three days after the attack, rescuers were still searching among the ruins of the collapsed concert hall and trying to clear rubble. Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said more than 300 “specialists” were working at the site. The attack, the deadliest on Russian soil in almost two decades, was met with outrage and disbelief in Russia, prompting calls for the harshest of punishments to be meted out. While the concert hall roof was still burning, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and shared a video taken by the men as they stormed the building, where thousands of Russians had arrived to watch the rock group Picnic. CNN has geolocated the 90-second video to the concert hall, where bodies and blood can be seen on the floor as fire rages above. The video also shows one of the attackers slitting the throat of a man lying on his back, and ends with the four attackers walking away inside the building with smoke rising in the distance. Despite ISIS appearing to provide evidence that its fighters had carried out the attack, Putin and other senior officials have been keen to associate Ukraine with the terror attack. In a national following the attack – more than 19 hours after it began – Putin on Saturday claimed that a “window” had been prepared for the attackers to escape to Ukraine. He did not provide evidence. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said: “Now we know in which country these bloody bastards planned to hide from persecution – Ukraine.” Ukraine has vehemently denied any involvement and called the allegations a “planned provocation by the Kremlin to further fuel anti-Ukrainian hysteria in Russia society” and further mobilize Russian citizens to participate in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Firefighters respond to the burning Crocus City Hall on March 22. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters Despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at historic lows, the United States warned Russia that ISIS militants were planning to stage an attack in the country. The US embassy in Moscow said earlier this month it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow,” including concerts. US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienna Watson said the US had shared this information with Russian authorities under the “duty to warn” policy. The US also warned American citizens to avoid places like theaters and concert halls. But in a speech Tuesday – just days before the attack – Putin dismissed the American warnings as “provocative,”