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Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/19/israels-war-on-gaza-live-us-veto-at-un-unfair-unethical-pa-president

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Thursday revised its weather advisory for Karachi as the government decided to impose a rain emergency in the metropolis. With various areas across Balochistan still receiving downpours, Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfraz said that the city is unlikely to witness heavy rain. According to him, the rain system from Balochistan was entering Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to which both the provinces are likely to witness heavy rains. However, Sarfraz underscored that southwestern province remains under threat as there’s a forecast of torrential rains along the its coastal belt. “Heavy rain is falling in some parts of Balochistan,” the chief meteorologist added. On the other hand, light rain hit different parts of Karachi including Numaish Chowrangi, MA Jinnah Road, Saddar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karimabad, Safoora and their adjacent areas. Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Karachi Water Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) Engineer Asadullah Khan on Wednesday dispatched 55 suction machines to all important highways of the city. In a video statement, he stated that Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab had imposed a rain emergency in anticipation of rain by the meteorological department. Khan added that the water corporation had completed all arrangements to tackle the rain. Khan mentioned that the KWSC possesses a total of 55 suction machines, and prior to the expected rain, these machines would be deployed to all significant highways and different locations in the city’s “deep areas”. Executive Engineer Workshop Division Shafqat Hussain and the relevant Executive Engineer would oversee all vehicles, he said. He assured that all sewerage pumping stations would remain operational with the assistance of generators in case of power outages. Moreover, a substantial quantity of diesel had been delivered to the sewage pumping stations. During the announcement, Khan urged citizens not to remove manhole covers during the rainy season, emphasising that sewer manholes were not intended for rainwater drainage. The COO KWSC stated that all the KWSC staff, especially the sewerage personnel, were on high alert, leading to the cancellation of leave for the engineering wing staff. The management of the KWSC was fully prepared with manpower to handle the rain and any possible scenarios, maintaining constant communication with all other local bodies, including the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), he said. Khan further emphasised that the KWSC staff were working around the clock to serve the public, with water corporation vehicles and employees remaining on the roads until rainwater drainage was completed. He also urged the citizens to refrain from unnecessary movement and avoid leaving their homes unnecessarily in case of rains. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1179732-rain-emergency-measures-imposed-in-karachi-amid-pmds-weather-advisory-revision

Heavy rains and flash floods have swept parts of the Gulf region, killing at least 18 people in Oman and causing travel disruption in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In Oman, the death toll announced on Tuesday included at least nine schoolchildren and their driver whose vehicle was washed away by the floodwaters in Samad A’Shan on Sunday. The National Committee for Emergency Management said rescue teams were still searching for two missing people. The government gave administrative staff in public and private sectors the day off due to the bad weather conditions in several provinces, while remote work was recommended in other parts of the sultanate. Residents were also urged to evacuate to shelters if they felt they were in danger or asked by authorities to do so. Police and soldiers were deployed to the hardest-hit province of Ash Sharqiyah North to transport citizens out of flooded areas, according to state media.Play Video Video Duration 00 minutes 48 seconds00:48 Flooding in UAE Meanwhile, heavy rainfall also lashed the neighbouring UAE on Tuesday, flooding portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai. The rains began overnight, leaving massive ponds on streets as whipping winds disrupted flights at Dubai international airport. Schools across the country largely shut before the storm and government employees were working remotely if able. Many workers stayed home as well, though some ventured out, with the unfortunate stalling out their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads. Authorities sent tanker trucks into the streets and highways to pump away the water. Initial estimates suggested more than 30mm (1.2 inches) of rain fell over the morning in Dubai, with as much as 128mm (5 inches) of rain expected throughout the day. Rain also fell in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/16/heavy-rains-kill-18-in-oman-as-flash-floods-lash-uae

A roadside accident on the Indus Highway during the early hours of Wednesday resulted in the loss of at least six lives. Several others sustained injuries, Geo News reported. The incident involved a collision between three vehicles: a passenger bus, an oil tanker, and a mini-truck. The collision left numerous individuals wounded, with many in critical condition. The hospital sources said the death toll is feared to rise. SSP Jamshoro, Muhammad Tariq Nawaz, confirmed the death toll, stating that six fatalities have been recorded so far. He said that emergency responders have transported 28 injured individuals to a nearby medical facility in Manjhand for urgent medical attention. Among the injured, seven are stated to be in critical condition.  According to the eyewitnesses, the rescue operation started after a considerable delay. Apart from police, the local people and passengers from the other vehicles took part rescue operation.  The police official, talking to Geo News, said that the reason of the accident is not yet confirmed. He said that investigation is underway to ascertain the facts involving the accident.  Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1179270-six-killed-in-overnight-accident-after-three-vehicles-collided-on-indus-highway

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for restraint as Israel weighs its response to Iran’s unprecedented weekend drone and missile attack. Putin made the remarks in a phone call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday. The leaders discussed what the Kremlin called “retaliatory measures taken by Iran” after an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on April 1. Putin urged all sides to refrain from action that would trigger a new confrontation that would have catastrophic consequences for the Middle East, the Kremlin said. Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel late on Saturday in response to the Israeli strike in Damascus, which killed seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals. Putin, in his first publicly aired comments on Iran’s attack, said the root cause of the current instability in the Middle East was the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Vladimir Putin expressed hope that all sides would show reasonable restraint and prevent a new round of confrontation fraught with catastrophic consequences for the entire region,” the Kremlin said. “Ebrahim Raisi noted that Iran’s actions were forced and limited in nature,” the Kremlin said. “At the same time, he stressed Tehran’s disinterest in further escalation of tensions.”Play Video Raisi thanks Putin Raisi thanked Russia for its position towards Iran’s response to Israel and said the inaction of the international community and the destructive role of some Western countries forced Iran to carry out the recent operation, according to Iran’s presidency. Raisi reiterated that any action against Iran’s interests will demand a larger-scale response, the presidency said. Russia, which has forged close ties with both Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and several Arab leaders, has repeatedly scolded the West for ignoring the need for an independent Palestinian state within 1967 borders. “Both sides stated that the root cause of the current events in the Middle East is the unresolved Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” the Kremlin said of the call with Raisi. “In this regard, the principled approaches of Russia and Iran in favour of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, easing the difficult humanitarian situation, and creating conditions for a political and diplomatic settlement of the crisis were confirmed.” Putin, who in 2022 visited Khamenei, congratulated Raisi and all Muslims on the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Iran has provided Russia with a large number of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and drones that Moscow has used to attack Ukraine. Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/16/russias-putin-urges-restraint-in-call-with-irans-raisi-as-tensions-soar

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/17/israels-war-on-gaza-live-eleven-killed-in-israeli-strike-on-refugee-camp

Victim’s brother alleges policeman tortured and killed his sister and threw her body on a railway track  Police on Monday said that the body of the woman, who was subjected to torture by railway police officer Mir Hasan on a moving train, was found near Chani Goth Railway Station in Bahawalpur. The incident came to light after a video went viral in which the police officer could be seen holding the woman by her hair and hitting her multiple times while other passengers watched silently. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Railways Abdullah Sheikh had said that the incident took place on April 7 on the Karachi to Lala Musa-bound Millat Express. The woman, who belonged to Jaranwala, Faisalabad, was identified as Maryam Bibi. The victim’s brother, Afzal, said that his sister used to work at a beauty parlour in Karachi and she was coming to Jaranwala to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr. Afzal said that Maryam left Karachi on April 7 by Millat Express. He said that the Bahawalpur police informed his family of Maryam’s death, saying she fell from train. “We buried her on April 9 in the village thinking it was a train accident. When the video went viral, the truth behind the incident and the violence on my sister came to the fore,” he added. Afzal alleged that the policeman tortured and killed his sister and threw her body on a railway track, adding that they requested the police to register a case but no action was taken. Meanwhile, the woman’s nephew who was travelling with her, said that his aunt was reciting loudly to which the policeman objected and started torturing her. “The policeman took our aunt with him and dropped us at the next station,” said the nephew. Meanwhile, police said that Maryam Bibi’s postmortem was conducted at Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Ahmedpur and they are waiting for the report.  Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1178568-woman-who-was-thrashed-by-cop-on-train-found-dead

Police in Australia have arrested a 15-year-old boy over a knife attack on a bishop and his followers at an Orthodox Assyrian church in Sydney, declaring the assault a “terrorist” act motivated by suspected religious extremism. The attack, which took place as a service at Christ The Good Shepherd Church and was being livestreamed on Monday evening, wounded Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and a priest. Both are expected to survive. Police arrested the teenager at the scene and were forced to hold him at the church for his own safety as an angry crowd of the bishop’s followers gathered outside. The crowd went on to clash with the police for more than three hours, demanding that the attacker be handed over to them. Emergency crews said they treated 30 people for riot-related injuries. New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said the suspect’s comments pointed to a religious motive for the attack. “We’ll allege there’s a degree of premeditation on the basis that this person has travelled to that location, which is not near his residential address, he has travelled with a knife and subsequently the bishop and the priest have been stabbed,” Webb said. “They’re lucky to be alive.” She added, “After consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident.” The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the nation’s main domestic spy agency, and Australian Federal Police have joined state police in a counterterrorism task force to investigate whether anyone else was involved. Mike Burgess, the director-general of ASIO, in rare public comments said that the boy appeared to have acted alone and there was no immediate need to raise the country’s terror threat level. Police officers hospitalised after riot The church in a message on social media said the bishop and priest were in stable condition and asked for people’s prayers. “It is the bishop’s and father’s wishes that you also pray for the perpetrator,” it added. Bishop Emmanuel has a significant following online with his livestreamed sermons attracting a global audience and his video clips racking up hundreds of thousands of views. He became well known for his hardline views during the COVID pandemic when he described lockdowns as “mass slavery”, media reported at the time. During Monday’s service, worshippers watched in horror as a person in black clothes approached the altar and stabbed the bishop and priest Isaac Royel. Police said the congregation overpowered the suspect after the attack. A crowd of hundreds seeking revenge gathered outside the church later, hurling bricks and bottles, wounding police officers and preventing them from taking the teen outside, officials said. He was only brought out after more than 100 police reinforcements arrived at the church. Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Andrew Holland said the teen suspect and at least two police officers were admitted to hospital. When asked if the teen’s fingers had been severed, he said the hand injuries were “severe”. Several police vehicles were also damaged, he said. “A number of houses have been damaged. They’ve broken into a number of houses to gain weapons to throw at the police. They’ve thrown weapons and items at the church itself. There were obviously people who wanted to get access to the young person who caused the injuries to the clergy people,” he said. Responding to the attack, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “There is no place for violence in our community. There’s no place for violent extremism.” He added, “We’re a peace-loving nation. This is a time to unite, not divide, as a community, and as a country.” The attack came two days after a man with a knife killed six people and wounded more than a dozen others at a shopping mall in Sydney’s Bondi Junction, before being shot dead by police. The attacker mostly targeted women. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns issued a joint statement with Christian and Muslim leaders calling for calm. “We’re calling on everyone to act with kindness and respect for each other”, the statement said. “Now is the time to show that we are strong and united.” Minns, speaking at a news conference later, also urged people to not take the law into their hands after the attack on police. “You will be met by the full force of the law if there’s any attempt for tit-for-tat violence in Sydney over the coming days,” he said. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/16/knife-attack-at-church-in-australias-sydney-a-terrorist-act-police-say

Source: https://aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/16/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-vows-response-to-iran