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PARIS, Dec 11 (Reuters) – France is to end funding for its biggest Muslim high school on the grounds of administrative failures and questionable teaching practices, a local official said on Monday, the latest in what some rights groups say is a wider crackdown on Muslims. Private school Averroes, the first Muslim high school to open in mainland France in 2003 in the northern city of Lille, has more than 800 pupils and has been under contract with the state since 2008. Pupils follow the regular French curriculum, and are also offered religion classes. But in an October report seen by Reuters, the interior ministry’s local office said the school was suffering from administrative and financial dysfunction and that some teaching did not align with French republican values. The interior ministry’s local office declined to provide more details on the contract termination. Many Muslims feel France – home to the largest Muslim population in Europe – has become more hostile towards them, especially after France suffered a string of deadly jihadist attacks in 2015. In September, the education minister banned the abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robe worn by some Muslim women, in public schools. Last year, a deportation order was given to an imam from the same area of northern France. Averroes headmaster Eric Dufour said he had yet to receive notification from the interior ministry’s local office, but that the school intended to challenge the decision in administrative court. “When it comes to republican values, we do more than any other school,” Dufour told Reuters last week in Lille, after he had been summoned to an education committee meeting in late November that made him fear the decision to end the school’s contract was coming. And a 2020 education ministry inspection report that Reuters reviewed said that “nothing in the observations … allows (us) to think teaching practices don’t respect republican values”. The ministry didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. Headmaster Dufour said that without public funding, the school would be unable to meet its budget needs. “We would have to double fees for every family to hold on, which is out of the question,” he said. Mohamed Daoudi said the main reason he chose Averroes for his 12-year-old son was its excellent results, and that he and other parents felt the interior ministry local office’s decision was an injustice. “It’s really a witch-hunt,” Daoudi said. “It’s an injustice doubled with an insult.” A project director in the tech industry, Daoudi said he had lived abroad for 15 years and was ready to leave again if the school were to close. “I would rather put my kids in public school in Canada,” he said. He added that he felt like it was part of a wider crackdown on France’s Muslim minority. “We do everything by the book, and we are still being pestered.” Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro, editing by Nick Macfie Source:https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-end-contract-with-biggest-muslim-high-school-amid-fears-wider-crackdown-2023-12-11/

Armed men stormed a police station in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least five people, officials say, with the number of casualties expected to rise. The attack took place on Tuesday in the city of Dera Ismail Khan in the restive province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, located at the edge of the lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, also wounded at least 28 people, said Aizaz Mehmood, an official of the state-run rescue service. “We are still hearing gunshots,” he said. end of list However, the Reuters news agency reported quoting two security officials that there were at least 24 deaths at the police station, being used by the Pakistani army as a base camp. “Many of them were killed while they were sleeping and in civilian clothes so we are still determining if they are all military personnel,” an official was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. The fighters rammed a vehicle laden with explosives into the main gate of the police station, following up with a gun attack, according to officials. Pakistani group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), which has emerged recently, said its fighters carried out the attack aimed at the Pakistani army, in a statement quoted by Reuters. Former Pakistan Taliban stronghold It was not immediately clear if the group in question is linked to the main armed outlawed group Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, which has targeted the state and its institutions for years. Dera Ismail Khan is a former stronghold of the TTP, which seeks to overthrow the government and replace it with their harsh brand of religious laws. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a rise in violence with several deadly attacks. In January, at least 101 people were killed when a suicide bomber targeted a mosque in Peshawar. Authorities say fighters have become emboldened while living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of that country in 2021. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/12/894

At least 20 people have been reportedly killed, including seven children, in the bombing of the city of Rafah by Israeli forces. A UN expert warns that “every single Palestinian in Gaza is going hungry” as Israel continues its deadly bombardment of the enclave. Al Jazeera denounces the killing of its journalist Anas al-Shifa’s 65-year-old father in an Israeli attack on his home in northern Gaza. Israel says it will screen humanitarian aid at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, but supplies will still enter Gaza only via Egypt’s Rafah. More than 18,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardment since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel stands at 1,147. Israel’s defence minister says war will ‘take time’ Israel’s defence minister has pushed back against international calls for a ceasefire, saying the current phase of what Israel says is an operation against Hamas will “take time”. “We are going to defend ourselves. I am fighting for Israel’s future,” Yoav Gallant, a member of Israel’s three-man war cabinet, said in a briefing with The Associated Press. Gallant refused to commit to any firm deadlines but signalled that the current phase, characterised by heavy ground fighting backed up by air power, could stretch on for weeks and that further military activity could continue for months. He added that the next phase would be lower-intensity fighting against “pockets of resistance” and would require Israeli troops to maintain their freedom of operation. Click here to share on social media Know their names: Palestinians killed by Israel in the occupied West Bank This year, at least 483 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,769 wounded by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank. Since October 7, as jets bombarded Gaza, the Israeli military ramped up its raids in the West Bank. As of December 10, at least 106 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers this year, reaching three times the number recorded in 2022. This year alone accounts for a quarter of all Palestinian deaths over the past 20 years. Click Photos: Gaza on Tuesday morning [Said Khatib/AFP] [Jack Guez/AFP] [Jack Guez/AFP] [Jack Guez/AFP] Click Photos: Aftermath of Israeli strikes on houses in Khan Younis [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters] Click here to share on social media Israeli raids continue in the occupied West Bank In addition to the raid in the city of Jenin, where four Palestinians have been killed, Israeli forces have carried out operations in other parts of the occupied West Bank: Israeli raids took place in the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah where 15 people were arrested. Several people were detained in the town of Samu in Israeli raids on Palestinian homes. ⁠Olive fields in the towns of Qasr and Orta, south of Nablus, were vandalised by Israeli forces who were accompanied by Israeli settlers. Raids were also reported in Bethlehem and Deir Ballut south of Qalqilya city. Click here to share on social media Houthis say they targeted tanker headed to Israel A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi group has confirmed that it was behind a missile attack on a Norway-flagged chemical tanker off the Yemeni coast on its way to Israel. “In support of the oppressed Palestinian people, currently reeling under the destruction, killing and siege of the Gaza Strip, and to heed the calls of our free Yemeni people, the Yemeni Naval Forces carried out an outstanding military operation against MV Strinda,” Yahiya Sarie said. “Over the past two days, the Yemeni Armed Forces prevented a number of vessels from passing through. Those vessels heeded our warnings. “We reiterate that we will continue to prevent all vessels headed to the Israeli ports, regardless of their nationalities, from navigating in the Arab or Red Sea, until the necessary food and medical supplies are delivered to our brothers in the Gaza Strip.” Click here to share on social media The Palestinian Health Ministry is reporting that a fourth Palestinian has been killed in Israeli raids on Jenin in the occupied West Bank. One person was wounded in the attack on al-Sibat neighbourhood, Wafa news agency reported, while at least 40 people have been arrested. Israeli forces have also surrounded three hospitals in the area, the report added. With the latest killings, the death toll in West Bank since October 7 has gone up to 279. Click here to share on social media US unlikely to put any real pressure to rein in Israel Giorgio Cafiero There’s no denying that the Biden administration would like to see Israel change certain aspects of its conduct. White House officials have concerns about how the war in Gaza will impact the region in the long term but there are no signs that the administration wants to put any real pressure on Israel to make the changes it would like to see. The Israelis understand that the opinions of the White House are just opinions, rhetoric is just rhetoric and if there’s no real pressure, this language doesn’t really mean anything. Given the elections coming up, I don’t think that Biden wants to have a fight with the pro-Israel lobby. I doubt he will do much to challenge the Netanyahu government. At the same time, as this war drags on and the humanitarian disaster worsens, we can see Biden paying a price politically. We can see voters who otherwise would have backed Biden decide to vote for a third party candidate, or not vote at all. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/12/israel-hamas-war-live-palestinians-going-hungry-as-israel-pounds-gaza

KHUZDAR A magnetic improvised explosive device (IED) explosion martyred a police official and injured two others in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, Geo News reported on Sunday. Police said that Counter Terrorism Department’s (CTD) Station House Officer Mohammad Murad embraced martyrdom in the blast after his car was targeted on the Sultan Ibrahim road. They added that the wounded were shifted to the Khuzdar Teaching Hospital. Caretaker Federal Minister of Interior Sarfaraz Bugti, while speaking to Geo News following the incident, said that the whole nation has to fight the war against terrorism as it is becoming a great challenge. “The war against terrorism is not just CTDs but of the entire nation,” he added. In October, two people were martyred and three were wounded in a roadside explosion in Balochistan’s Chaghi area. According to the Levies force, the blast took place in Chaghi bazaar — at a distance of 60 kilometres from Dalbandin near the Pak-Afghan border — when a security forces vehicle was passing by. The attack came days after more than 60 people died in two separate suicide attacks in Balochistan’s Mastung and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu city on September 29. Pakistan has witnessed a significant spike in the form of the recent wave of terrorist attacks across the country. According to a statistical report released by the independent think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), at least 271 militant attacks took place during the first half of 2023, resulting in the loss of 389 lives and injuring 656 individuals. Terror activities in the country soared by 79% during the period. In light of the increase in attacks, the interior minister announced the November 1 deadline for the illegal “aliens”, including Afghan illegal immigrants, to leave the county voluntarily. The caretaker interior minister revealed that Afghan nationals were responsible for 14 of the 24 suicide bombings in the country this year. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1136973-ied-blast-martyrs-policeman-injures-two-others-in-balochistans-khuzdar

Melbourne, Australia – More than four decades after they were convicted in one of Australia’s longest-running criminal trials, the evidence used to jail six former Yugoslav migrants is being re-examined to determine if they were victims of a miscarriage of justice. A rare judicial inquiry in the state of New South Wales (NSW) began investigating this month the convictions of six Croatian-Australian men found guilty in 1981 of plotting to bomb sites across Sydney, Australia’s biggest city. end of list A Supreme Court judge ordered the inquiry on the grounds that there were “doubts” and “questions” about the evidence provided to the trial by police officers and a key witness, who Australia’s domestic spy agency suspected may have been an informant for the state intelligence agency of the then-Yugoslavia, the Eastern European country that eventually broke up in a wave of nationalism in 1991. “The members of the ‘Croatian Six’ for whom I act have always and steadfastly maintained their innocence,” said Sebastian De Brennan, one of the lawyers representing the three men on whose behalf the judicial review application was made: Vjekoslav Brajkovic, Maksimilian Bebic and the late Mile Nekic, who died last year in Croatia. De Brennan told Al Jazeera the inquiry was “a vindication for my clients who wanted nothing more than to have their names, and those of the many other Croatian-Australians whose good reputations were tarnished by the case, cleared.” The inquiry will also examine the cases of the three other members of the “Croatian Six”: Anton Zvirotic and brothers Ilija and Joseph Kokotovic. All six men were recent migrants from Yugoslavia when they were arrested in Sydney and the NSW town of Lithgow in February 1979. After a 172-day trial in the NSW Supreme Court, in February 1981, they were convicted of involvement in a conspiracy to bomb two travel agencies, a Serbian community club, a suburban theatre and Sydney water supply pipes. They were also convicted on charges of possessing explosives and each sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison. They served sentences of 10 years before being released in 1991. Intelligence has been declassified for the inquiry [Courtesy of the National Archives of Australia] Multiple legal appeals and applications for judicial review were unsuccessful but in 2022, after examining new information submitted to the NSW Supreme Court, Judge Robertson Wright ordered a judicial inquiry into the convictions. Judge Wright said there were “doubts or questions as to parts of the evidence … and the guilt of the Croatian Six”, including whether a central witness gave “deliberately false” evidence in the original trial. The man, known as Vico Virkez, told police that he was a member of the largely anti-communist Croatian-Australian community and involved in the alleged bombing plot with the convicted men. His confession to Lithgow police in 1979 led to their arrests. Declassified government documents name him as Vito Misimovic or Mesimovic, a Bosnian-born migrant who was reported by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) as having links to the Yugoslav consulate in Sydney. Yugoslavia’s eventual split following the collapse of the then-Soviet Union led to the independence of several countries including Croatia. ASIO files describe the “Croatian Six” as belonging to a “Croatian nationalist movement dedicated to overthrowing the Yugoslav government and establishing an independent Croatian state”. In his decision, Judge Wright states there is a “real possibility that the Yugoslav Intelligence Service used Mr Virkez as an agent provocateur or informer, to cause false information to be given to the NSW Police, and possibly ASIO, as to the existence of a bombing conspiracy involving the Croatian Six, in order to discredit Croatians in Australia”. Investigative journalist Hamish McDonald, who has written extensively on the “Croatian Six”, expects the declassified information on Virkez’s activities to have a significant impact on the inquiry. In 2018, McDonald’s research led to the intelligence agency files being declassified and included in the application for a judicial inquiry. “The ASIO evidence shows that this information was given very early to the state police but none of it reached the defence counsel or was heard in the court,” McDonald recalled. “The Crown Counsel assured the court there was not a scintilla of evidence that Virkez was a Yugoslav agent.” In directing the inquiry, Judge Wright found that “the unavailability to the defence at the trial of the information of the type disclosed in the declassified ASIO documents may well have deprived each accused of a chance of acquittal”. McDonald believes that if any of the surviving police officers involved in arresting the “Croatian Six” appear before the inquiry, they will be questioned “about the physical evidence they claim to have found on the premises of the six Croatian Australians and why they did not do certain things that would be routine procedures now, like photographing evidence and fingerprinting. They’d be asked whether they used violence in the interrogation of the arrested men”. Four of the men alleged they were beaten while in police custody. Judge Wright said there were questions too about the evidence provided by NSW Police officers about the confessions attributed to all six men and the discovery of explosives linked to them. “The inquiry will have a wider scope than a trial and examine the convictions in a different way to an appeals court,” explained Associate Professor Mehera San Roque, an expert in evidence law at the University of New South Wales. “It is not bound by the rules of evidence. So, the judge will be able to receive evidence that might otherwise be inadmissible in a trial,” she said. At the end of the inquiry, the judge will submit a report to the chief justice of the Supreme Court and “may refer the matter to the Court of Criminal Appeal for consideration of whether the convictions should be quashed, or the sentence reconsidered”. “If the convictions are quashed, it is possible to seek compensation,” added San Roque. ‘I was innocent’ The “Croatian Six” and their families have rarely spoken publicly about the

About 18,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardment since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel stands at 1,147. A special UN General Assembly session to be held on Tuesday comes after Egypt and Mauritania invoked resolution 377, “Uniting for Peace”. The WHO requests “immediate, unimpeded” access to Gaza as its chief called the current situation “catastrophic”. UN forces in Lebanon have warned of a “wider conflict” as Israel and Hezbollah escalate air raids and drone attacks. Occupied West Bank comes to a standstill amid solidarity strike Nida Ibrahim Reporting from Jenin, occupied West Bank Palestinians are closing down their shops – including pharmacies, bakeries and street vendors – and all aspects of life in various areas of the occupied West Bank in solidarity with those in the besieged Gaza Strip. Palestinians are hoping that by doing this, the world will take notice and this will translate into increased pressure on Israel. Their main demand is for a ceasefire in Gaza but they also want the world to pressure Israel to end the occupation. For Palestinians, strikes have historically been important ways to shed light on their situation. It’s also a sign of unity that they’re all united against the Israeli occupation. Click here to share on social media Gaza conflict shows need to put people first, says Somali FM Alma Milisic Reporting from the Doha Forum The situation in Gaza serves as a stark reminder of the need to put people first, Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abshir Omar Jama said in a speech at the Doha Forum. Global leaders have gathered for a second day in the Qatari capital with discussions on how to ease the humanitarian situation in Gaza and agree a ceasefire topping this year’s agenda. The Somali official emphasised the importance of involving the “international community to address the underlying causes of suppressed advocacy for the protection and dignity of the civilian population, including children and vulnerable groups who are disproportionately affected”. Click here to share on social media 142 female prisoners from Gaza detained by Israel Palestine’s Commission for Detainees’ Affairs says Israel is currently holding 142 female Palestinian prisoners, including children and elderly, who were arrested during the ground invasion in Gaza. It added that they were being detained in several prisons, including Damon and Hasharon. As of the end of November, Israel said 260 Palestinians from Gaza were held in Israel, whom it classifies as illegal combatants. Gaza residents with permits to work in Israel found themselves stuck outside the besieged enclave after Israel launched its relentless bombardment. Click here to share on social media Palestinians being killed at historic pace by Israeli bombing Hani Mahmoud Reporting from Rafah, southern Gaza The overnight bombardment across the Gaza Strip just confirmed what people have been saying: The Israeli military is targeting civilians in their homes when they’re sleeping or eating with their families. We’re seeing civilians being killed at a historic pace. Maghazi is a densely populated refugee camp in central Gaza … in a very densely populated neighbourhood. Homes were targeted overnight and 23 people were reported killed. Many were injured around those houses that were targeted. The lack of equipment for rescue crews makes it very difficult to help those who might have survived. People are using their hands to remove rubble and save as many as they can. Nuseirat – another densely populated refugee camp – was also targeted in what seems to be a war on refugee camps. Click here to share on social media Violence escalates between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah Crossfire on the Lebanon-Israel border is continuing. We’re getting reports that at least eight rockets were fired from Lebanon at the northern Israeli city of Ma’alot-Tarshiha this morning, The Times of Israel said. Footage published on social media shows rockets fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel being intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system. Some rockets appeared to have landed in open areas. There are no reports of injuries. In southern Lebanon, an Al Jazeera correspondent said an Israeli artillery bombardment targeted the vicinity of the towns of Naqoura, Zibqin, Yarin, Marwahin and Jebbayn. Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since the war in Gaza erupted two months ago in their worst hostilities since a 2006 conflict. The violence has largely been contained to the border area. Click here to share on social media WATCH: Sirens blare in Spanish civil war town in solidarity with Gaza Protesters in Guernica form the Palestinian flag in the same market square that was bombed by Nazi and fascist forces during the Spanish civil war. Doha Forum resumes in Qatar The Doha Forum resumes today in the Qatari capital with the war in Gaza expected to top the agenda again. Speakers and panellists on the opening day highlighted the need for an urgent ceasefire and halt to Israel’s continued bombing of the besieged enclave that has killed almost 18,000 people. Our correspondents Virginia Pietromarchi and Alma Milisic are at the event and will bring you all the major developments. [Alma Milisic/Al Jazeera] Click here to share on social media Window on Israel’s war in Gaza closing Yossi Mekelberg of Chatham House believes there could be a ceasefire in the next few weeks, either before Christmas or by the end of the year, as the US becomes increasingly concerned over the death toll in Gaza. He said that for the people of Gaza, a few weeks would still be a “very long time”. Mekelberg, who is an associate fellow of the MENA programme at Chatham House, said the fighting also needs to stop if Israel wants all the captives released. “Everyone needs to go back to the negotiating table…  all of this is one big disaster,” he added. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/11/israel-hamas-war-live-who-decries-catastrophic-situation-in-gaza

  At least 10 people have died and thousands remain cut off from the power grid in Ukraine, in three days of stormy weather that has blanketed parts of the country in heavy snow, a senior official said Tuesday. More than 400 settlements across 11 regions were without electricity, and more than 1,500 responders were trying to reach thousands of people in need of rescue, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on Telegram, as fresh bouts of snow are expected to continue this week. Another 23 were injured, including two children, Klymenko said Tuesday, adding the deaths were in Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kyiv regions. The storm also hit occupied Crimea, prompting Russian-appointed officials to announce a state of emergency in parts of the peninsula. The worst of the storm that hit Ukraine on Sunday appears to have passed, but another powerful low-pressure system will hit the country late Tuesday through Wednesday, unleashing rounds of additional heavy snow, wind and rain. Snow totals — which measure how much snow has fallen — from the current storm will be highest across the mountainous southwestern regions of Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakapattia, where the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center has warned of “considerable danger” of avalanches. Odesa meteoroligists say the current snowfall is the heaviest in the last five years. Viacheslav Onyshchenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images Interior Ministry spokesperson Maryana Reva said that snow drifts in some places had reached 2 meters high. She told Ukrainian television that the south was worst affected, with five deaths recorded in Odesa region. The storm hit as Ukrainians continue to live through challenging conditions that have come from Russia’s war on the country. Infrastructure and basic services have been compromised already in many places, and the extreme weather is compounding those problems. Officials gave grim accounts of where the dead were found. “All the deceased were discovered on the streets,” Reeva said Tuesday. “According to preliminary information, they died of hypothermia.” Enter your email to sign up for CNN’s “Meanwhile in China” Newsletter. close dialog She said a total of 6,000 Interior Ministry personnel had been involved in responding to the storm since Sunday. Rescue teams evacuated nearly 2,500 people from Odesa, including 162 children, according to Governor Oleh Kiper. “849 vehicles were towed, including 24 buses and 17 ambulances,” he wrote on Telegram. The extreme weather was caused by a low-pressure system over eastern Europe over the weekend. Wind speeds of up to 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour on Sunday were reported. Thousands without power In occupied Crimea, the Russian-appointed head of the peninsula Sergey Aksenov announced a state of emergency in 10 municipalities on Tuesday. “Yesterday I reported the situation to our President [Vladimir Putin], who gave instructions to the federal government to allocate funds for the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure,” Aksenov wrote on Telegram. The storm had left some 93,000 people in Crimea without electricity, and disrupted the water supply to 245 villages, Aksenov said. “Work at the sites is being carried out around the clock. Teams of resource specialists have been formed,” he said. The Russian Emergency Ministry also warned the situation could deteriorate across the country, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Climate change, caused primarily by humans burning fossil fuels, is making severe storms in many parts of the world more frequent. In Ukraine, the overall snow cover each year is expected to decline as the planet warms further. But climate change is also making heavy snowfall events in winter more frequent there. The country is also grappling with drought that has impacted agriculture, also made more likely by the climate crisis, as well as an uptick in flooding events. Source:https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/28/europe/ukraine-odesa-black-sea-snow-storm-intl/index.html

MANSEHRA: The internal and external security of the Dasu Hydropower Project had been beefed up after the attack on a passenger bus on Karakoram Highway (KKH) near Chilas in which 10 people were killed earlier this month, an official said on Thursday. “We have enhanced security of the Chinese nationals working on this mega energy project, and also established more posts in and outside of the project’s premises,” Dasu Hydropower Project General Manager Anwarul Haq told reporters. He said though the security of Chinese engineers and workers executing the 4300-megawatts project was already up to the mark, it was further enhanced following an attack on the neighbouring Diamer district in Gilgit-Baltistan on December 2. He said the security personnel were more vigilant to deal with any situation.The official said that the execution of the dam was well underway and a delegation from the World Bank also visited the dam sites recently and reviewed ongoing work. “We could complete the first phase of this mega energy project at its stipulated period,” Anwarul Haq said. The Upper Kohistan police have also increased patrolling at Karakoram Highway and of development projects being executed by foreigners in the district. District Police Officer Mohammad Khalid Khan visited the Shatial area of the district and reviewed the security arrangements made by police at Karakoram Highway and police posts.The Lower Kohistan police also enhanced its patrolling in KKH in the limits of Dubair and Jijal police stations. “We have been allowing local and foreign passengers and workers following a complete security and bio-data check at Chakai police post at KKH,” said District Police Officer, Lower Kohistan, Jamil Akhtar. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1136153-security-of-dasu-power-project-upped-after-kkh-attack

Health ministry says at least six Palestinians killed and many wounded in Israeli raids across occupied West Bank overnight and this morning. Israel continues intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as health facilities and humanitarian aid efforts are crumbling due to intense fighting. White House aide says US has “not given a firm deadline to Israel” to end military operations in the besieged enclave. UN Security Council expected to discuss situation in Gaza on Friday as countries press for a ceasefire amid continued opposition from veto-holding US. At least 17,177 Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the revised official death toll stands at about 1,147. Israeli military claim to have hit targets in Syria The Israeli military announced that they had, overnight, struck what they described as an “armed terrorist cell” in the vicinity of the occupied Golan Heights. They said they had also hit several targets in Syria in response to attacks on the occupied Golan Heights yesterday. The Golan Heights is a 1,200 square kilometre (463 square miles) plateau in Syrian territory that was occupied by Israel in 1967 after capturing the area in the Six-Day War. It was annexed by Israel in 1981. At least five Palestinians killed in Far’a refugee camp At least five Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli forces in a raid on the Far’a refugee camp in occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Overnight and early this morning, raids have been reported in several areas across the occupied Palestinian territory: Ramallah, where Israeli soldiers fired sound grenades and tear gas Al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron Villages of Kafr Qaddum and Jinsafut, east of Qalqilya Occupied East Jerusalem, where Israeli forces have also arrested two Palestinian men, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa Click Palestinian Authority working with US for post-war Gaza: Report Bloomberg News is reporting that the Palestinian Authority is working with US officials on a plan to run Gaza once the war is over. The preferred outcome of the conflict would be for Hamas to become a junior partner under the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), helping to build a new independent state that includes the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, the report said, citing Palestinian PM Shtayyeh. “If they [Hamas] are ready to come to an agreement and accept the political platform of the PLO, then there will be room for talk. Palestinians should not be divided,” he said, adding that Israel’s aim to fully defeat Hamas is unrealistic. Smoke rises over Gaza [Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters] Click here to share on social media US officials voice concern over Israel’s military ambitions: Report The HuffPost has reported that US officials are concerned that Israel is looking to secure US weapons for a war in Lebanon. “This is a pivotal moment in history, and we should feel angry about how Netanyahu has literally put our reputation on fire to advance his personal political agenda. The collateral effects to American security are extremely consequential,” the news website quoted a State Department official as saying, Click here to share on social media Men kidnapped from schools under heavy gunfire Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah in the Gaza Strip, said that dozens of men taken from UN-affiliated schools in northern Gaza on Thursday were rounded up under “heavy gunfire” with snipers also positioned around the school. “Those men were ordered to leave the school and then they were blindfolded. They were stripped of their clothes, and there were signs of beatings and torture as we’ve seen in one of the videos and the pictures circulating,” he said. Footage aired by Israeli media showed at least 100 Palestinian men sitting in their underwear on the street in Jabalia before being taken to an unknown location. Among the men were doctors, academics, journalists and the elderly, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. We are getting reports of casualties in Far’a refugee camp near Tubas, northeast of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, following an Israeli raid. At least three people have been killed and three others were wounded, medical sources told Al Jazeera. Videos from earlier this morning show Israeli forces entering the site with tanks while sounds of explosions could be heard across the camp. We will add more information as we get it. Click here to share on social media Will Netanyahu risk a tunnel conflict to ‘eradicate Hamas’, stay in power? Nils Adler Al Jazeera spoke to experts on the challenges the Israeli army would face if they entered the sophisticated, sprawling network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip. Fighting in the narrow tunnels would be a risky move for the Israelis, who would be without the aerial support they rely on overground. However, some believe that a politically embattled Netanyahu may still choose to engage Hamas in the tunnels to fulfil his ambitions of eradicating the group. Read the full article here. An Israeli soldier secures a tunnel underneath Gaza City, on November 22, 2023 [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters] Click here to share on social media Renewed Israeli air strikes across Gaza Israeli forces struck a number of areas across the Gaza Strip earlier today, including in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza. Additionally, an Israeli air attack on a house in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, killed five people. Click here to share on social media Ben-Gvir requests Hamas prisoners be moved to underground prison wing Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has ordered the country’s prison service commissioner to reopen an underground prison wing to hold jailed members of Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. The Times of Israel, citing Hebrew media, reported that the wing was part of the Nitzan prison in central Israel and is reported to have been unused for years. Ben-Gvir also wrote to Israel’s police commissioner describing the conditions in the underground wing as “not among the best”, but that the conditions “comply with the provisions of the law and the relevant regulations, and it has housed prisoners in the past”. Click here to share on social

The death toll from the fire that ripped through a multi-storey commercial-cum-residential building located near Ayesha Manzil in Karachi’s Federal B Area a day earlier has increased to five, police said on Thursday. Late on Wednesday evening, 12 fire engines, two snorkels and two bowsers brought under control the fire that erupted in the six-storey building after several hours of hectic efforts. Officials had said three people were killed and two sustained burn injuries in the blaze. Witnesses had said the fire erupted in a mattress shop located at the front of the building and then later spread throughout the structure. Immediately after the incident, caretaker Sindh Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar ordered a probe. Yesterday’s blaze was the second incident of fire in under a fortnight. On Nov 25, a fire that erupted in a six-storey building on Rashid Minhas Road claimed 11 lives. Speaking to Dawn.com today, Central Senior Superintendent of Police Faisal Abdullah Chachar said the death toll from the Ayesha Manzil fire had increased to five. The deceased persons were aged between 20 and 40 years. He added that a first information report of the incident had not yet been registered. Footage aired on television in the morning showed the charred building, covered in soot. Meanwhile, in a visit to the fire site, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui held the PPP responsible for the incident. “Who should the people of Karachi blame for those who were killed and burned?” he asked. “The public need to know those who are responsible for turning this city into a jungle.” Siddiqui stated that Karachi had seen several of its people being killed on the streets. He demanded that the caretaker chief minister should come forth and show “how much power does he have”. MQM-P’s Dr Farooq Sattar lamented the absence of officials at the building, saying that there was no one present who could comfort the bereaved families. “Who will compensate these people? Who will bring back their homes and shops? These are all questions that need to be answered […] for God sake please listen to our voices,” he added. 90pc buildings in Karachi have no firefighting system At a moot last month, city planners, engineers and experts of building plans had revealed that some 90 per cent of all structures in Karachi — residential, commercial and industrial — did not have fire prevention and firefighting systems. The experts had referred to the data that more than 15,000 people lost their lives and suffered losses of over a trillion rupees every year due to fire accidents across the country which mainly occurred in urban areas where majority of residential, commercial and industrial structures were raised in violation of defined building rules. They had warned that growing concrete structures without following the defined building code posed serious threats to hundreds of thousands of lives. They had also asked the government to move fast for effective implementation of fire prevention and firefighting laws “before it’s too late”. Source:https://www.dawn.com/news/1795817/death-toll-from-blaze-in-building-near-karachis-ayesha-manzil-rises-to-5