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Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/9/2/israeli-war-on-gaza-live-israel-bombs-school-killing-11-palestinians

Britain’s High Commissioner in Islamabad Jane Marriott has “encouraged” Pakistani students to apply for the Chevening and Commonwealth scholarship programmes at the United Kingdom universities. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the Commonwealth Scholarship programme as 46 Chevening and 47 Commonwealth scholarships have been awarded to Pakistanis, according to an official statement issued by the British High Commission in Islamabad on Friday. These long-standing programmes have developed a network of over 1,500 Commonwealth and nearly 2,000 Chevening alumni in Pakistan, who regularly meet to discuss live issues, it added. The statement further stated that scholars come from diverse backgrounds, representing the rich cultural tapestry of Pakistan, adding that this year’s cohort come from Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Pakistan Administered Kashmir, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and the Federal Capital Territory. Over 60% of this year’s Chevening scholars are women. The British High Commission strongly encourages people from all backgrounds and across Pakistan to apply. Talking to the students, the high commissioner offered advice to them for living in the UK, ahead of a year of studying at British universities. She said, “The Chevening programme helps develop a new generation of Pakistani leaders and change-makers. Many of our alumni have gone on to achieve extraordinary things back home.” “Not only do they get the benefit of studying at some of the best universities in the world, they also get to experience the best of living in the UK. From climate studies to football coaching, I am looking forward to seeing what they achieve, and encourage all those interested to apply early.” Fareeha Gull Hashmi, Assistant Manager of Oral History Project Citizens Archive of Pakistan and upcoming Chevening scholar, said: “I am thrilled to be joining the University of Essex for my MA in Heritage and Museum Studies. This programme is exactly what I was looking for to help me on my journey to improve heritage and cultural preservation in Pakistan. I can’t wait for my journey to begin.” The cohort includes those on a scholarship in Football Science, with the support of Swindon Town Football Club. For the first time, this year’s cohort also saw an additional scholarship for Heritage and Museum Studies with the support of Essex University. This scholarship will cover tuition fees, living expenses, and travel costs. This, and a University of Essex Scholarship for Climate Studies, are again available in this year’s application cycle, as are additional scholarships from the University of Birmingham. This month, the British High Commission launched Chevening Connect in Karachi, a new debate series bringing together industry experts and Chevening alumni. The first debate, on tackling climate, looked at the technical, economic and political leadership needed to support Pakistan with adaptation and resilience. Applications for Chevening Scholarships to study in the UK from 2025-26 will close on 5 November. Applications for the South Asia Journalism Programme, a two-month journalism fellowship with the University of Westminster, are open and will close on 10 October. Applications for the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies fellowship, a five-month fellowship, are open and will close on 5 November 2024. To find out more about eligibility and to apply, visit chevening.org. Applications for the Commonwealth Scholarships for 2025-26 will open later this year.  Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1225443-93-pakistani-students-heading-to-uk-on-chevening-and-commonwealth-scholarships

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired the commander of the country’s air force, four days after an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from its Western partners crashed during a Russian bombardment and killed the pilot. The order to dismiss Mykola Oleshchuk was published on the presidential website on Friday. “We need to protect people. Protect personnel. Take care of all our soldiers,” Zelenskyy said in an address minutes after the order was published. He said Ukraine needs to strengthen its army on the command level. Anatolii Kryvonozhko was appointed acting air force commander, the army’s general staff said. The dismissal came on the same day that Oleshchuk directed scathing criticism at a lawmaker who is deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s defence committee for her claims that the F-16 was downed by a Patriot air-defense system. Ukraine has received an unspecified number of the US-made systems. Mariana Bezuhla cited unnamed sources for her claim and demanded punishment for those responsible for the error. Oleshchuk accused Bezuhla of defaming the air force and discrediting US arms manufacturers and said that he hoped she would face legal consequences for her claims. “The truth will win,” Bezuhla posted on X shortly after the dismissal order was published. The air force did not directly deny that the F-16 was hit by a Patriot missile. US experts have joined the Ukrainian investigation into the crash, the air force said. A US defence official told the Reuters news agency that the crash did not appear to be the result of Russian fire, and possible causes from pilot error to mechanical failure were still being investigated. F-16s are one of the weapons that could be used to hit Russian bases behind the front line. Oleshchuk said on Telegram that “a detailed analysis” was already being conducted into why the F-16 jet went down Monday, when Russia launched a major missile and drone barrage at Ukraine. “We must carefully understand what happened, what the circumstances are, and whose responsibility it is,” Oleshchuk wrote in the post shortly before his dismissal. The crash was the first reported loss of an F-16 in Ukraine, where the warplanes arrived at the end of last month. At least six are believed to have been delivered by European countries. Military analysts have said the planes will not be a game-changer in the war, given Russia’s massive air force and sophisticated air defence systems. But Ukrainian officials welcomed the supersonic jets, which can carry modern weapons used by NATO countries, for offering an opportunity to hit back at Russia’s air superiority. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/30/zelenskyy-fires-ukraines-air-force-commander-after-deadly-f-16-crash

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/8/31/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-bombards-gaza-besieges-west-banks-jenin

Germany has deported 28 Afghan nationals charged with criminal acts, in the first such move since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. “These were Afghan nationals, all of whom were convicted criminals who had no right to stay in Germany and against whom deportation orders had been issued,” German government spokesman Stefan Hebestreit said on Friday. The Qatar Airways charter jet carrying the deportees departed for Kabul at 6:56am (04:56 GMT), according to the Ministry of Interior in the eastern state of Saxony. The men had been brought from across the country to Leipzig for the flight. Sources confirmed to the German news agency dpa that all the Afghan citizens on board the flight were men. “Our security counts, our constitutional state acts,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on X, and thanked federal police and state authorities for their cooperation. The government had to work through other channels to secure the deportation as Germany cut diplomatic ties with the Taliban government since the ousting of then-President Ashraf Ghani in a stunning power grab three years ago. The operation was the result of two months of “secret negotiations” in which Qatar acted as the go-between, German magazine Der Spiegel reported. Hebestreit said Germany had “asked key regional partners for support in order to facilitate the deportations”, without giving details. While the spokesman said the deportations had been in the works for months, they took place a week after a deadly knife attack in Solingen where the suspect is a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum in Germany. The suspect was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria last year but reportedly disappeared for a time and avoided deportation. The ISIS (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/30/germany-deports-28-afghans-for-first-time-since-2021-taliban-takeover

Security forces have killed at least five terrorists and wounded three others in separate operations in Zhob, Kech and Panjgur districts of Balochistan, the military’s media wing said on Friday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the security personnel have launched extensive intelligence based operations (IBOs) to hunt the culprits involved in the fresh terrorist attacks in the province. According to the military’s media wing, the operations are being conducted in the backdrop of cowardly terrorist activities that targeted innocent civilians across Balochistan on August 26. “On night August 29-30, in three separate IBOs in District Kech, Panjgur and Zhob, five terrorists were sent to hell by the security forces, while three terrorists got injured during the intense fire exchange,” said the statement. Moreover, sanitisation operations will continue until all perpetrators, facilitators and abetters of these atrocious acts are brought to justice, it added. The statement further mentioned that the forces, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan. The development comes after at least 23 passengers on Monday were killed after being offloaded from passenger buses and trucks in the Rarasham area of Balochistan’s Musakhel. Separately, at least 10 people, including police and Balochistan Levies personnel, were martyred in a gun attack in Kalat. Furthermore, at least 14 brave sons of soil, including 10 security forces soldiers and four personnel of law enforcement agencies (LEAs), were martyred in clearance operations, wherein at least 21 militants were neutralised.  Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1225383-security-forces-wipe-out-five-terrorists-in-balochistan-ispr

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/8/30/israels-war-on-gaza-live-who-says-polio-vaccination-to-start-on-sunday

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/8/26/israels-war-on-gaza-live-panicked-patients-flee-al-aqsa-martyrs-hospital

Reinforcements sent by Moscow failed to stop a Ukrainian surprise offensive in Russia’s Kursk region during its second week, creating a dilemma for the Kremlin – to further tap Russia’s invasion force in Ukraine by diverting more battalions to defend Russia, or to throw new conscripts into the war. Moscow has so far kept regular recruits into the armed forces on rotation at home, sending only contract soldiers to the bloody battlefields of Ukraine. But the Kursk offensive has changed that delicate political balance. Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised the potential political backlash of sending conscripts to Ukraine in the early days of the invasion. “I emphasise that conscript soldiers are not participating in hostilities,” Putin said in a televised message in March 2022, in response to concerns from the mothers of enlisted men. “There will be no additional call-up of reservists.” He deployed conscripts in border regions by allowing the Federal Security Service (FSB) to enrol them, a move that may remain legally controversial. On August 10, four days after the Ukrainian incursion, Russian mothers began to complain that their sons were in active combat. “Oksana Deeva, the mother of a conscript who found himself in the Kursk region, published a petition for the return of conscripts from combat zones. Almost three thousand people signed it in three days,” wrote Okno, an independent Russian news publication. On Monday, the commander of a Chechen special forces volunteer battalion, Akhmat, lashed back at what he called “sobs and outbursts”. “No one will die who is not destined to die, but if you die defending [Russia] and your faith in God, you will go to heaven,” said Apty Alaudinov in a televised message. Putin has remained silent on the issue. Soldiers’ mothers organisations have political power in Russia, said the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank. “Mothers’ organisations have been able to steer large Russian social movements in the past, as with the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers (later renamed the Union of Committees of Soldiers’ Mothers), which rallied around issues with Soviet conscripts in the late 1980s and early 1990s and successfully called for greater transparency in the Soviet military.” In the early days of the invasion, Putin assured conscripts’ family members that professional soldiers would carry the brunt of the fighting. But heavy casualties among special forces and other experienced units have increasingly forced Putin to offer felons pardons, immigrants legal residence and non-ethnic Russians high sign-up bonuses in return for service in Ukraine. Ukraine’s audacious move Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukraine’s incursion had in places advanced 35km inside Russia, taking control of 1,293 square kilometres (500 square miles) on Tuesday, versus 1,000sq km (386sq miles) a week earlier, and 93 settlements, versus 74 the week before. The ISW on Saturday estimated the contested area in Kursk at 28km (17 miles) deep and 56km (35 miles) wide. The ISW also assessed that Russian forces had occupied 1,175sq km. (454sq miles) of Ukrainian territory since the beginning of the year. If accurate, this means Ukraine has captured more Russian land in a fortnight than Russia had captured in Ukraine in eight months. The capture of 19 Russian settlements in the past week is a tempo unmatched by Russian forces still on the offensive in east Ukraine, who made several marginal advances. The greatest Russian success of the past week came west of Avdiivka, a town Russia seized in February. It has since formed a salient 30km (19 miles) west of the town. Russian forces are believed to be aiming to capture Pokrovsk, 16km (10 miles) further west. In the past week, they seized Zavitne and Novozhelanne and claimed half a dozen more settlements, whose capture remained unconfirmed. Yet Ukraine’s success remains far greater, not just in territorial terms, but because it has recaptured the battlefield initiative in a sector of the front. On its own turf, Ukraine remains reactive and defensive. “This operations by the Ukrainians has caught everybody by surprise including all of us, not only the fact that it happened and where it happened, but also how successful it has been,” Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges told Times Radio. He attributed that success to “good analysis” by the Ukrainians, but also to Ukraine’s ability to “degrade or neutralise Russian drones by creating, it seems like, some sort of a counter-drone bubble.” Russia has been using Iranian-designed Shahed drones to hit front lines as well as cities in Ukraine, and has recently copied Ukraine’s tactic of using smaller, first-person view (FPV) drones to spy on enemy formations. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/22/russia-faces-manpower-woes-after-failing-to-stop-ukraines-kursk-incursion

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/8/22/israels-war-on-gaza-live-mass-exodus-as-israel-expands-ground-invasion