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Students were evacuated from Karachi University’s Mass Communication Department after a fire erupted in its audio-visual room on Monday. Two fire tenders took part in the rescue operation and doused the fire which broke out at around 10am in the morning. Talking to Geo.tv, Mass Communication Department Chairperson Professor Dr Asmat Ara confirmed that an air conditioner in the audio-visual room caught fire when a class was being conducted there. fire brigadePauseUnmute The chairperson said that the students were evacuated immediately after the fire erupted. However, she noted that the strength of the students was comparatively less than normal. “The AC was completely burnt and later the fire spread into the room and damaged chairs and tables [as well],” she said. Initially, Dr Ara added, the department’s staff made efforts to douse the fire, who were later joined by the university’s fire rescue and campus security personnel. “The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) fire department was also called in which controlled the blaze,” the official shared, adding that the KU’s electrical engineering department has surveyed the institute. Noting that “everything was under control”, the chairperson said that morning and evening classes in the department will continue as per the timetable. Source: https://thenews.com.pk/latest/1209973-blaze-erupts-in-kus-mass-communication-department

A car bomb has exploded outside a cafe in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, killing at least nine and injuring several others as patrons were watching the final of the Euro 2024 football tournament on TV, the government said. The al-Qaeda-linked armed group, al-Shabab, has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s deadly attack via an affiliated radio station, saying the bombing targeted a place where security and government workers meet at night. Mohamed Yusuf, an official from the national security agency told the AFP news agency on Monday, raising the official toll of five given by the authorities late Sunday. “Nine civilians were killed and 20 others wounded in the explosion,” he said. “There were many people inside the restaurant, most of them youth who were watching the football match… but thanks to God, most of them made their way out safely after using ladders to climb up and jump over the backside perimeter wall,” Yusuf added. Images posted online showed a huge fireball and plumes of smoke billowing into the night sky as the explosion ripped through the popular restaurant in the centre of the city on Sunday.Play Video Video Duration 15 minutes 43 seconds15:43 Police officer Mohamed Salad had rushed to the scene a few minutes after the blast and told AFP that several bodies were discovered under the debris. The bomb also destroyed 10 cars and damaged several buildings nearby in a well-guarded area near the presidential palace. Despite losing large swaths of territory to government forces and their allies, al-Shabab has frequently launched raids and deadly attacks targeting the government. Al-Shabab has been fighting to topple the fragile central government in Mogadishu for more than 17 years, carrying out numerous bombings and other attacks in the capital and other parts of the country. Somalia’s federal government depends on the support of foreign troops to stay in power. The government has joined forces with local armed groups to fight the group in a campaign supported by an African Union force and US air raids. But the offensive has suffered setbacks, with al-Shabab earlier this year claiming it had taken multiple locations in the centre of the country. Somalia last month called for the African Union to slow the planned withdrawal of its forces from the troubled country. UN resolutions called for troop numbers in the AU peacekeeping mission, known as ATMIS, to be reduced to zero by December 31 with security handed over to the Somali army and police. The third and penultimate phase was to see the departure of 4,000 ATMIS soldiers – out of a total of 13,500 – by the end of June. But Somalia’s government said it wanted to see only 2,000 soldiers leave in June and the remaining 2,000 in September. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/15/deadly-car-bomb-targets-busy-cafe-in-the-somali-capital

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/7/15/israels-war-on-gaza-live-endless-massacre-in-gaza-as-israel-kills-17

 Balochistan Home Minister Meer Zia ullah Langau on Friday said the internet and cellphone services would remain suspended in Quetta on Muharram 7 and 10 from 6am to 12am midnight.  Additionally, the provincial government has imposed Section 144 in seven districts as it ramps up security measures in Muharram. Muharram began on July 8 with the sighting of the lunar month’s crescent in Pakistan. Faithful hold processions and majalis across the country in Muharram, while religious scholars address huge gatherings amid tight security, with thousands of law enforcers deployed to ensure security. During his visit to review security arrangements in various areas of the metropolis, Langov said 8,000 security personnel would be deployed in Quetta on the day of Ashura, 10th Muharram. Meanwhile, five Quick Response Force platoons of Pakistan Army would remain on standby. Whereas, the home minister said that the cellphone services would be suspended in Jhal Magsi, Jaffarabad and Usta Muhammad districts on Muharram 9 and 10. The provincial government has also banned pillion riding and imposed Section 144 from Muharram 1 till 10 in seven districts. It was the government’s responsibility to maintain law and order situation in the city, stated Langov, apprising media that security arrangements regarding Muharram had been completed. On the other hand, the federal government on July 8 approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army and Civil Armed Forces (CAF) across the country as a security measure during Muharram. According to a notification issued by the interior ministry, the government has sought the deployment of the military to maintain law and order. The notification states that the details of troop deployment, which will be enforced for an indefinite period, will be finalised with the authorities concerned. Additionally, the notification stated: “The date of de-requisitioning of said deployment will be decided subsequently after mutual consultation among all stakeholders.” Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1209264-quetta-to-suspend-internet-cellphone-services-on-muharram-7-10

At least 22 people, including students, have been confirmed dead after a two-storey school building collapsed in central Nigeria, according to the authorities, sending rescuers on a frantic search for more than 100 people trapped in the rubble. The Saint Academy building in Plateau state’s Busa Buji community collapsed on Friday shortly after students, many of whom were 15 or younger, arrived for classes, the authorities said on Saturday. A total of 154 students were initially trapped in the rubble, but police spokesman Alfred Alabo later said 132 of them had been rescued and were being treated for injuries in various hospitals. The Associated Press news agency quoted Alabo as saying that 22 students were confirmed dead. An earlier report by Nigerian media had said at least 12 people were killed. Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a Facebook post that 30 people remain in hospital. The rescue operation had ended and the site cleared, it said. Rescue workers had tried to reach the victims using heavy machinery, and images from the scene showed crowds gathering around a caved-in concrete building and piles of rubble.Play Video Dozens of villagers gathered near the school, some weeping and others offering to help, as excavators combed through the debris from the part of the building that had caved in. One woman was seen wailing and attempting to go closer to the rubble as others held her back. NEMA said rescue and health workers as well as security forces had been deployed at the scene immediately after the collapse, launching a search for the trapped students. “To ensure prompt medical attention, the government has instructed hospitals to prioritize treatment without documentation or payment,” Plateau state’s commissioner for information, Musa Ashoms, said in a statement. The state government of Plateau blamed the tragedy on the school’s “weak structure and location near a riverbank”. It urged schools facing similar issues to shut down. Building collapses are becoming common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, with more than a dozen such incidents recorded in the last two years. Authorities often blame such disasters on a failure to enforce building safety regulations, the use of substandard construction materials and poor maintenance. Source: https://aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/12/several-children-killed-after-school-collapse-in-nigeria

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/7/13/israel-war-on-gaza-live-dozens-of-bodies-recovered-after-massacre

A Spanish tourist was crushed to death by a herd of elephants inside South Africa’s Pilanesberg National Park after he left his vehicle to take a close-up photo of the breeding animals, local police said. The unnamed European, described by police as a 43-year-old man, visited the game reserve in South Africa’s North West Province on Sunday, in a private vehicle, according to provincial police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone. He was accompanied by his fiancee and two other women, Mokgwabone said in a statement sent to CNN Wednesday. Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia identified the tourist as Carlos Luna, whom it said was from Zaragoza. The Pilanesberg Game Reserve is South Africa’s fourth-largest park and a popular tourist destination. It is also home to more than 7,000 animals, according to its website. US tourist on safari in Zambia killed by charging elephant Police said that while touring the park, the man and his passengers “spotted three elephants with three calves,” adding that “the man stopped the vehicle, alighted and went closer to take pictures” before he was attacked and killed by the herd. The province’s tourism board said in a statement that the Spaniard “did not heed the warnings” of “his fellow passengers, and occupants from two other vehicles that were at the sighting” before approaching the elephants “that were feeding a distance from the road.” “An adult elephant cow charged at the man, who then ran … (but) was unfortunately not able to escape or evade the elephant, which was now joined by the whole herd, and was caught and trampled to death,” the board said. It added that the elephants left the scene afterward and did not attack anyone. “Statements by witnesses who observed the whole incident further suggest that the female elephant that charged and attacked might have done so to protect the herd and young ones.” Plans are being made to repatriate the tourist’s body, the Spanish newspaper said, citing officials. Elephant attacks are not rare in South Africa. In 2019, a suspected poacher was attacked and killed by an elephant, and his body eaten by lions in the northeastern Kruger National Park, authorities said at the time. In the same year, a security guard was similarly crushed to death by an elephant at a mine in the country’s Limpopo province. Other parts of Southern Africa have witnessed similar tragedies. Three months ago, an elderly American woman was killed after an elephant charged at a vehicle transporting tourists inside Zambia’s largest national park. The North West tourism board said it was “saddened” by the incident at the Pilanesberg park, urging tourists to “respect distance between vehicles and animals and … to only alight in specially designated areas.” Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/10/africa/elephants-kill-spanish-tourist-south-africa-intl/index.html

At least 15 people were dead and two injured when a passenger jeep plunged down from the Leswa Bypass Road near Devlian village onto the bank of the Neelum River on Wednesday while they were travelling from Lawat Bala to Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). According to Rescue 112, though police and rescue teams rushed to the accident site, their efforts faced certain difficulties due to the occurrence of rain. They added that the bodies were sent to the District Headquarters Hospital, whereas, the wounded passengers were taken to the Muzaffarabad Combined Military Hospital. Additionally, at the scene, a woman cutting grass and two children were also injured. They were also admitted to the hospital. accident merge Notably, at least 17 passengers were travelling in the jeep including the driver; out of which six men, four women, and three children could not survive the accident. Additionally, two other passengers were announced dead when they reached the hospital, as per the rescue officials. Apart from the police and rescue teams, local people and youth also volunteered and took part in the rescue efforts. As the possible causes behind the accident are still being determined, Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Ahmed Janjua told Geo News: “Apparently, there is no obvious cause for the car accident. There is also no trace present on the road where the accident took place, which can determine the cause behind the occurrence.” He added, “The road is perfectly smooth and in good condition.” The passengers who lost their lives belonged to two families of Lawat Bala village in the Neelum Valley. The bodies were handed over to their respective kin and their funeral prayers will be offered in the village before they are laid to rest. Accidents like this routinely take place in the mountainous areas of AJK. The prime reason behind such occurrences is mostly faulty and worn-out public transport vehicles, but a lack of road safety measures also causes such road mishaps. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1208374-15-killed-as-passenger-jeep-falls-into-ravine-in-ajks-neelum-valley

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/7/11/israels-war-on-gaza-live-bodies-filling-the-streets-in-gaza-city

A Russian missile strike partially destroyed a children’s hospital in Kyiv on Monday, causing terrified patients and their families to flee for their lives, as officials fear more people could be trapped beneath the rubble. Moscow launched a brazen daytime aerial assault on targets in cities across Ukraine during morning rush hour, killing at least 39 people, according to Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Search and rescue operations continued into Tuesday after the large-scale bombardment struck areas in the capital, as well as in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. The death toll includes 29 people in the capital, Klymenko said in an update Tuesday. Earlier, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said four children were among the dead after a boy’s body was found under the rubble in the capital’s Shevchenkivskyi district. Two people were killed and at least 16 others injured in the strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt hospital. The facility is Ukraine’s largest children’s medical center and has been vital in the care of some of the sickest children from across the country. Every year, around 7,000 surgeries – including treatments for cancer and hematological diseases – are conducted at the hospital, according to Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. Videos from the scene of the children’s hospital showed volunteers working with police and security services to sift through the rubble as smoke billowed from the hospital, as staff described how they tried to rush children to safety in the wake of the attack. Two floors of the hospital were demolished, comprising an area of 400 square meters (4,300 sq ft), the emergency service said, while Ukraine’s health minister Viktor Liashko said intensive care units, oncology departments and surgery units had been damaged. More than 600 patients were evacuated from the hospital, with more than 100 transferred to other healthcare facilities, Liashko said, according to state news agency Ukrinform. “The key task here is to get people out of the rubble and provide assistance to those we can reach, as we have already taken out all the first ones,” Liashko said in a Telegram post. RELATED ARTICLE‘ Huge disappointment’: Zelensky blasts Modi meeting with Putin the same day Russian attack devastates Ukraine hospital The attacks were part of a rare daylight bombardment on Ukrainian cities, some of which are heavily populated areas far from the front lines. It came a day before US President Joe Biden hosts a crucial NATO Summit in Washington, where new announcements over the alliance’s military, political and financial support for Kyiv are expected. Biden called the strikes a “horrific reminder of Russia’s brutality.” “It is critical that the world continues to stand with Ukraine at this important moment and that we not ignore Russian aggression,” Biden said, noting that he would meet with Zelensky during the summit “to make clear our support for Ukraine is unshakeable.” “Together with our allies, we will be announcing new measures to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses to help protect their cities and civilians from Russian strikes,” he added. Meanwhile, seven people were killed in a Russian attack Monday on a private medical facility in Kyiv belonging to the Adonis network, the company said. Of those killed, five were staff members and two were patients, Adonis said. Russia’s defense ministry on Monday claimed that Moscow had struck “military industrial facilities of Ukraine and air bases of the Ukrainian armed forces” using long-range, high-precision weapons. Doctors and bystanders help clear debris following the strike. Gleb Garanich/Reuters Eyewitnesses recount hospital strike Natalia Sardudinova, a senior nurse, described the moment the strike hit the children’s hospital, saying that “it was scary, but we survived.” “It was loud, the windows were crunching,” she told CNN. “As soon as the alarm sounded, the children were taken out into the corridor.” She said two children had been in the operating theaters at the time of the blast, and both were relocated to the basement shelter once their procedures were completed. “Everything was in smoke, there was no air to breathe. The doctor was cut by shrapnel. The windows and doors were blown out. One nurse in the hospital was heavily injured,” Sardudinova added. “My hands are still shaking. They don’t let anyone in now, they are afraid it will collapse.” Yulia Vasylenko, the mother of an 11-year-old cancer patient at the hospital, said her son Denys was evacuated outside following the strike. “My son is on painkillers. He has cancer. He has been without medication for half a day. He was brought down the stairs from the third floor. There was smoke (and) heavy dust,” she said. Iryna Filimonova, a senior nurse at the pediatric urology department, told CNN an operation on a 2-year-old was underway when the strike happened. “The lights went out, everything went out. We pulled out the instruments, shining flashlights. Everything was sewn up quickly,” Filimonova said. “The baby was brought down (to the shelter). I immediately ran to help clear the rubble. Some of my nursing colleagues who worked in the operating theaters and some doctors were cut by glass fragments. Our department was destroyed.” Another operating theater nurse, Oksana Mosiychuk, said they sheltered in the emergency room when the explosion rocked the building. After that, she added, the medical team had to extinguish a blaze that broke out in their department, including an operating table which had caught fire. “Fortunately, everyone is alive. One of our colleagues was heavily injured, he had numerous cuts and shrapnel wounds, and was taken away by an ambulance. I also have minor shrapnel wounds, but I’m fine. It was very scary. I was scared for the children,” she said. A UN team who visited the site after the strike saw children “receiving treatment for cancer in hospital beds set up in parks and on streets, where medical workers had quickly established triage areas, amongst chaos, dust and debris,” the UN’s human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. “Shockingly, one of the strikes severely damaged the intensive care, surgical and oncology wards of Okhmatdyt, which is Ukraine’s largest children’s referral