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Firefighters are battling several wildfires in the Texas Panhandle. The largest, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, is raging out of control, burning homes and forcing residents to evacuate. The fast-moving blaze, fueled by gusty winds and dry, unseasonably warm conditions, has exploded in size, scorching at least 850,000 acres with 3% containment, making it the second-largest wildfire in Texas history, according to Texas A&M Forest Service. As of Wednesday morning, no injuries or deaths have been reported. Hemphill County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Kendall described the aftermath to the Associated Press as being “like a moonscape… It’s just all gone.” Kendall reported that 40 homes were burned on the outskirts of the town of Canadian but no buildings inside the town were lost. “Thirty-eight years of memories, that’s what you were thinking,” Canadian resident Tresea Rankin said while watching flames destroy her house. “Two of my kids were married there … But you know, it’s OK, the memories won’t go away.”Town of Canadian largely spared by massive wildfire Storm chaser Jordan Hall reported live from the scene of the Smokehouse Creek Fire on Feb. 27, where intense wind gusts caused extreme fire behavior. County Emergency Management issued evacuation orders Tuesday afternoon, with Sheriff Brent Clapp “strongly” suggesting that people evacuate Canadian. Later in the evening, according to ABC 7 News, as the wildfire forced road closures, Clapp recommended Canadian residents shelter in place. Canadian Independent School District canceled all classes on Wednesday due to the fire. ABC 7 also reported that structures in Canadian have burned. In addition to Canadian, evacuation orders were issued for Glazier and Higgins. Roberts County Judge Mitchell Locke also issued a county-wide mandatory evacuation.Evacuee describes chaotic escape from wildfire Wildfire evacuee Brooke McQuiddy describes her harrowing escape from her hometown of Canadian, Texas, as an out-of-control wildfire spread quickly in the area on Feb. 27. “The Smokehouse Creek fire is being fueled by southwesterly winds to 60 mph and is rapidly spreading east-northeast towards the Texas town of Canadian,” AccuWeather severe weather expert Guy Pearson said, explaining that winds on Tuesday afternoon shifted behind a strong cold front, quickly changing the direction the fire was spreading. Courtney Kirksey, a children’s pastor helping people shelter from wildfires at Celebration Family Church in Fritch, Texas, told CNN on Tuesday that most of the people who come in have lost everything. “The fire is so unpredictable. Starting out the day, the wind was blowing out of the southwest and probably about four o’clock, it switched to the north and that sent the fire in another direction.” In a social media livestream, Hutchinson County Emergency Management spokesperson Deidra Thomas compared the fire aftermath in Fritch to a tornado and said people are probably not “prepared for what they’re going to see if they pull into town.” Authorities have not said what ignited the fires. The Texas Division of Emergency Management is encouraging Texas residents at risk to keep a close eye on the weather and be prepared to evacuate. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties and urged Texans “to limit activities that could create sparks and take precautions to keep their loved ones safe.” Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/29/israels-war-on-gaza-live-mass-killing-of-children-in-slow-motion-ngo

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The Balochistan Assembly will convene its maiden session on Wednesday (today) with the newly-elected members of the provincial legislature set to take oath when the House meets at 3pm. The authorities have barred the entry of guests in light of the expected protests and the prevailing law and order situation in the province. Moreover, as per the assembly’s secretariat, Zamrak Khan Achakzai has been appointed as the presiding officer for the session. The 51 members, elected on general seats, who will be taking their oath today include members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers. The members of these two major parties, who are expected to form a coalition government in the centre, emerged victorious in the 65-member House which includes 11 reserved seats for women and three for minorities. The Bilawal-led party has 11 seats in the assembly and PML-N has 10 seats. Meanwhile, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) have 10 and five seats, respectively. Furthermore, as many as six independent candidates have also made it to the Balochistan Assembly along with the National Party (NP) and Balochistan National Party (BNP) who have secured three and one seats, respectively. Following their oaths, the legislators, in the session that will continue in the coming days, will vote for the election of the House’s speaker and deputy speaker followed by the election of the chief minister. With a divided provincial assembly where no political party managed to secure a simple majority in the February 8 polls, the PPP and the PML-N might join hands to form their government as they already have agreed to form a coalition government in the Centre. Balochistan Assembly’s inaugural session comes as newly-elected members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly will also be taking their oath today. Sindh and Punjab Assemblies have already administered the oath of their members who have elected their speakers, deputy speakers and chief ministers. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1162402-newly-elected-members-of-balochistan-assembly-to-take-oath-today

Ukraine says it destroyed 10 Russia drones launched overnight. Ukraine’s president is co-hosting a summit in Albania with the stated goals of “peace, security, cooperation”. G20 finance ministers are meeting in Brazil on Wednesday with the Russia-Ukraine war expected to take centre stage. Yulia Navalnaya, wife of activist Alexey Navalny who died earlier this month, will address the European Parliament on Wednesday. Fishy business: After Russia invaded Ukraine, its seafood industry thrived Regin Winther Poulsen Agostino Petroni Dominika Perlínová After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the West’s reaction was swift and decisive, with unanimous decisions by the EU and the US to support Ukraine and punish Russia with economic sanctions. Two years on, the war continues while Russia’s economy remains resilient. While parts of the Russian industry were sanctioned immediately, some important industries were not. The Russian fishing industry was only partially blocked by Washington and marginally by the European bloc, which continues to import about $1bn worth of seafood from its aggressive neighbour. Read the full article here. Russian salmon are displayed at a fish store amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Nemuro on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, April 11, 2022 [Daniel Leussink/Reuters] Click here to share on China lauds relations with Russia, calls for strengthened Asia Pacific role China has heralded historically strong relations with Russia as it called for the pair to coordinate on security, stability and development in the Asia Pacific region. China and Russia should play a “better role as an anchor of stability in the changing circumstances of the century”, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said in a statement issued on Wednesday following a visit to Moscow by Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong. Although wary of damaging ties with the West, Beijing has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and relations between the two BRICS members have remained warm amid the war. Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, gestures while speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 20, 2023 [Sergei Karpukhin/Sputnik via AP] Click here to share on Russia jails Ukrainian man for attempting to buy secret missile parts Russian news agencies are reporting that a court in southern Russia has jailed a Ukrainian man for more than 11 years after convicting him of espionage for trying to procure secret missile components for Ukraine. The agencies cited Russia’s internal security and intelligence agency FSB as saying that the man, who it named as 57-year-old Sergei Krivitsky, was an agent for Ukrainian military intelligence. They did not say whether he pleaded guilty or not. The FSB said Krivitsky was a resident of Melitopol, a Ukrainian city taken by Russian forces in early 2022. In 2023, Russia opened 31 espionage cases and 98 treason cases, the highest number since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. Cars drive past the headquarters of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in central Moscow, Russia [Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters] Click here to share on social ‘EU should consider using profits from frozen Russian assets to buy supplies for Ukraine’ We can now bring you more from the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She tells the European Parliament that it was “time to start a conversation about using the windfall profits of frozen Russian assets to jointly purchase military equipment for Ukraine”. “There could be no stronger and no greater use for that money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live.” Ursula von der Leyen gestures as she arrives at the European Parliament [Jean-Francois Badias/AP Photo] Click here to share on Europe will support Ukraine for as long as it takes: Von der Leyen European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is speaking at the European Parliament. “Over the last two years, Europe has shown and proven that it will support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” she says. “The threat of war may not be imminent, but it is not impossible”. In preparing for such an eventuality, it means “turbocharging our defence industrial capacity in the next five years”, she says. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/28/russia-ukraine-war-live-navalny-widow-address-eu-parliament

A senior member of Hamas’s political wing has told Al Jazeera the group has still not received an official proposal for a truce deal, downplaying optimism by the US president that an announcement was imminent. UN humanitarian agency says humanitarian organisations “systemically denied access” to Gaza and that humanitarian aid convoys are coming under fire. A senior UN humanitarian aid official has said that one-quarter of Gaza’s population – estimated to be at least 576,000 people – is a step away from famine. Gaza’s Health Ministry says children are dying due to dehydration and “escalating famine” could “kill thousands” in days if more aid does not enter the Gaza Strip. At least 29,878 people have been killed and 70,215 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 attacks stands at 1,139. Hamas fires missiles at Israel from southern Lebanon The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, says it launched multiple missiles at northern Israel from southern Lebanon. The strikes targeted the headquarters of Israel’s 769th Eastern Brigade and its airport barracks in Beit Hilal, the Qassam Brigades said on its Telegram account. Clashes around the Israel-Lebanon border have been frequent amid the Gaza war, but Israeli forces have recently struck deeper into Lebanese territory, targeting what they claim are positions of Hezbollah, which is a staunch ally of Hamas. Click New technocratic government needed to ‘unify Palestinians’ Husam Zomlot, Palestine’s ambassador to the UK, said Qatar and Egypt could help form a technocratic Palestinian government to take over governance of the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Zomlot said all Palestinian political factions, including Hamas, would be consulted in the new government’s formation, but that it would be strictly technocratic. “It is designed to unify the Palestinians, their geography and polity,” Zomlot said. “The political landscape has changed. This is the time to hear our people and not the time for political factions. We have a responsibility to provide a government that can provide for its people, unite our people and political system.” On Monday, Palestinian PM Mohammad Shtayyeh and his government resigned amid reform pressures, in a move that was seen as paving the way for a potential national unity government. Click here to share on social media Three more Palestinians killed in Gaza City In addition to the Palestinians killed while waiting for food, Wafa news agency is reporting that Israeli shelling has killed another three people and wounded six others in the Sheikh Ijlin neighbourhood in southern Gaza City. Israeli strikes have also targeted other neighbourhoods in Gaza City, resulting in numerous other casualties. The targeted neighbourhoods include Tal al-Hawa, Zeitoun, and Sabra, according to Wafa. Click Three Palestinians killed while waiting for food aid near Gaza City Three Palestinians, who were waiting for aid near Gaza City, were killed after being hit by Israeli artillery fire on the coastal al-Rashid Street, reports the Wafa news agency, quoting local medical sources. Palestinians in the north have been gathering on that coastal road as they desperately wait for food, amid reports residents there face starvation. Click here to share on social media North Gaza hospital shuts down surgery department Gaza’s al-Awda Hospital, one of the few partially functioning health facilities left in the north, has had to cancel all surgical operations after two of its operating rooms were “targeted and destroyed”, according to its acting director Mohamed Salha. “This means that all medical services related to obstetrics and gynaecology have stopped completely,” Salha told Al Jazeera. The closure also means the hospital must cancel all orthopaedic and plastic surgeries, which can help save the limbs of wounded Palestinians, Salha said. “We were the only hospital in northern Gaza for orthopaedic surgeries … There is no other alternative place in northern Gaza or Gaza City because the health ministry’s hospitals are out of service completely,” he said. Click here to share on social media Latest from Gaza Our correspondent in Gaza, Hani Mahmoud, has sent us these updates: Intense artillery shelling on Zeitoun neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City A drone fired a missile on a group of people in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza. Eighteen bodies were retrieved from the vicinity of Nasser Hospital after Israeli tanks withdrew from the area. Snipers are still taking up positions on the rooftops of surrounding buildings Bodies collected from eastern Khan Younis are sent to the European Gaza Hospital in Rafah due to difficulties in getting them to Nasser Hospital Click What’s happening with the Gaza ceasefire plan that Biden mentioned? Earlier this week, President Biden said he hoped a ceasefire deal would come into effect between Israel and Hamas by Monday. However, both sides have come out with statements which have cast a shadow over a possible stop in Israeli attacks. According to a senior Egyptian official quoted by the Associated Press, a truce could last six weeks and would allow the return of displaced Palestinians to some parts of northern Gaza and a significant increase in aid delivery. A Hamas source also told Al Jazeera earlier that the deal could involve the exchange of 400 Palestinian prisoners for 40 captives held in Gaza. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, said Doha was “hopeful” but  “not necessarily optimistic” a deal could be announced in the coming days, adding that “the situation is still fluid on the ground”. A Hamas official told Al Jazeera on Tuesday evening that the group has not yet received a formal proposal for a ceasefire. Israeli PM Netanyahu also said on Tuesday that he will not be pressured to “prematurely” end Israel’s offensive. Click here to share on social media Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/28/israels-war-on-gaza-live-thousands-could-die-in-days-as-israel-blocks-aid

 House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a defining dilemma on Ukraine Mike Johnson talks to reporters during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington, DC. on February 14. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images House Speaker Mike Johnson has the fate of a democracy and a people in his hands. It’s not the United States, which will survive even if the coming general election results in another existential test for the constitutional system. Johnson has the power to save Ukraine, two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded, decreeing that it didn’t have the right to exist. Ukraine’s soldiers are running out of bullets. There are signs that Russia may be about to break a stalemate and tip the war its way. Johnson, a backbencher who was the last-ditch choice to lead the mutinous House GOP majority last year, could relieve Ukraine’s agony and help ensure its survival as an independent nation in the coming days. He could allow a vote on a bill that includes $60 billion in aid that the Pentagon says is needed for Kyiv to continue to fight effectively. It would likely pass with a comfortable bipartisan majority. The Louisiana Republican’s reluctance to do so is a commentary on the growing power of GOP front-runner Donald Trump, the sharp turn of his party away from its globalist pro-democracy heritage, and perhaps even his own ambition since borrowing Democratic votes to finance Ukraine’s defense could cost him the speakership. His predicament will be highlighted at a meeting of the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday called by President Joe Biden. It’s morning in Ukraine. Here’s what you need to know Sweden has cleared a final hurdle in its bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after Hungary approved its accession to the alliance. Sweden and Finland sought to join the alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, abandoning the decades-long policy of non-alignment. Sweden can expect that Russia will “not like” the country’s accession to NATO, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the move toward Sweden’s membership, and said that Ukraine is looking forward “to working closely with Sweden and other NATO allies to advance Ukraine’s NATO membership.” A decision to admit Ukraine would extend the sacred NATO pledge that an attack on one member is an attack on all to a nation Russia regards, at a minimum, as part of its sphere of influence Here are the top headlines: Biden pushes for aid: President Joe Biden will convene the top four congressional leaders on Tuesday as the White House ratchets up pressure on lawmakers to pass additional funding to Ukraine, and ahead of a partial government shutdown deadline this week. European support: French President Emmanuel Macron has said that sending Western troops to Ukraine cannot be ruled out. He also announced a new coalition to supply medium and long-range “missiles and bombs” to Ukraine at a European aid summit for the war-hit country. On the front lines: Ukrainian forces have retreated from the village of Lastochkynein the eastern Donetsk region, both sides have confirmed, as Russian forces intensify attacks and continue to push west. Lastochkyne is near Avdiivka, where Russia raised its flag on February 18. Fighting elsewhere: In Russia, a Ukrainian attack killed at least three people and wounded three others after a drone strike hit a car with civilians in a village in the Belgorod region, the regional governor said. Prisoner exchange: Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny was due to be exchanged in a prisoner swap before he died, according to his aides. A Western official confirmed that early discussions of an exchange were underway, but said no formal offer had been made. The US State Department would not comment on the reports. Navalny funeral: A public farewell to Navalny is expected to be held this week. Navalny’s mother had previously said she was being pressured into having a secret burial. Biden to convene top four congressional leaders as pressure builds for Ukraine aid President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC. on February 16. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images President Joe Biden will convene the top four congressional leaders on Tuesday as the White House ratchets up pressure on lawmakers to pass additional funding to Ukraine, and ahead of a partial government shutdown deadline this week. The meeting – which will include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries – comes at a pivotal moment following Johnson’s resistance to Ukraine aid. Biden has repeatedly framed the need to support the country against Russia as a matter of national security abroad and at home. In the face of congressional inaction on a package that includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, the president has directed his team to make the consequences “abundantly clear,” a US official told CNN. Russia will not like Sweden’s accession to NATO, Swedish prime minister says Ulf Kristersson attends a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 26. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images Sweden can expect that Russia will “not like” the country’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Monday. “As for Russia, the only thing we can safely expect is that they do not like Sweden becoming a NATO member. They didn’t like Finland becoming a NATO member either,” Kristersson said at a news conference in Stockholm. Kristersson highlighted that Russia’s ambitions to limit NATO expansion have backfired, and also noted the historic nature of his country’s ascension into the alliance. “Sweden is leaving behind 200 years of neutrality and non-alignment. It’s a big step and something to take seriously but it is also a very natural step that we take. Membership in NATO means that we now come home to a large number of democracies’ cooperation for peace and freedom. A very successful cooperation,” Kristersson said. Earlier on Monday, Hungary’s parliament approved Sweden’s bid to join NATO, clearing the last hurdle for the country to become the 32nd member of the military alliance. Source:https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-02-27-24/index.html

Superintendent of Police (SP) Ijaz Khan was martyred while a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and two other officials sustained injuries in an intelligence-based operation against terrorists in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.  According to the counter-terrorism department (CTD), two wanted terrorists were also killed in the exchange of fire in Mardan’s Katlang tehsil. One of them included Mohsin Kadir, who was a most wanted militant. The injured police officials were shifted to a hospital. Following the incident, the funeral prayers of SP Ijaz were performed and were attended by District Police Officer (DPO) Najeeb and other police officials. On the other hand, a police officer, Qaisar Khan, also embraced martyrdom after he was gunned down by motorcyclists on Monday night in Peshawar. The picture shows the site of the attack in Peshawar. — Provided by the reporter The funeral prayer of policeman Qaisar was performed at Malik Saad Police Lines. It was attended by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kashif Aftab Abbasi and other police officials. According to the statistics issued by the Department of Interior and Tribal Affairs KP, the areas most affected by terrorism include Peshawar, Khyber, Bajaur, and Tank while DI Khan and North Waziristan and South Waziristan are included in the terror-affected areas. The documents of the Home and Tribal areas revealed that a total of 1,050 incidents of terrorism took place in KP last year while 419 incidents of terrorism took place in the arranged districts, and 631 incidents in the merged districts. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/category/national

Three people killed, three wounded as during Israeli forces’ raid across the occupied West Bank. Intense fighting was also reported in the Far’a refugee camp. President Biden says he hopes “by next Monday we will have a ceasefire”, adding that “my national security adviser tells me that we are close – close but not done yet”. Doctors at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City are treating victims on the floor after Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for aid. Hamas has slammed the Biden administration for enabling the siege of Gaza and said hunger in the territory “is a disgrace to humanity that history will not erase”. At least 29,782 people have been killed and 70,043 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 attacks stands at 1,139. What we know about a possible ceasefire deal President Biden said he hopes “by next Monday we will have a ceasefire”, saying “we are close – close but not done yet”. Biden added that Israel would halt Gaza “activities” during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan under the ceasefire deal. The US Mission to the UN has circulated a draft resolution to members of the UN Security Council calling for them to “urgently” reach a “temporary ceasefire” agreement. Biden’s comments come a day after his national security adviser said representatives from Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the US discussed the terms of the ceasefire deal in Paris. The talks did not include Hamas, but the Palestinian group is reviewing the Paris truce proposal, which involves a 40-day pause and a hostage exchange. Reuters news agency, citing Egyptian security sources, earlier said the Paris meeting would be followed by talks involving Israel and Hamas, first in Qatar and later in Egypt. Israeli media reports that a delegation from Israel arrived yesterday in Qatar for ceasefire talks. Qatar’s emir is due in Paris today for talks with the French president. Click What’s happening at the Lebanon-Israel border? Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces have exchanged fire since the early days of the war on Gaza. In recent weeks, tensions have escalated, with an increase in cross-border attacks that have resulted in fatalities on both sides. Yesterday marked a further escalation when Israel struck eastern Lebanon for the first time since the war began, killing two people on the outskirts of Buday village near Baalbek, a Hezbollah stronghold in the Bekaa Valley. Today, both sides confirmed that dozens of rockets were fired towards northern Israel from Lebanon. Here are several incidents from yesterday: Hezbollah said it fired a volley of rockets at an Israeli military base in retaliation to the attack in the Bekaa Valley. The Israeli military confirmed this. Hezbollah said its fighters shot down an Israeli drone over its stronghold in southern Lebanon. A missile fired by Hezbollah towards the drone was intercepted by Israel and landed near a synagogue in a town close to Nazareth in northern Israel. Hassan Salami, a senior officer of Hezbollah in the Hujair Valley region in southern Lebanon, was killed by a missile fired by an Israeli fighter jet. Click Dozens of missiles launched towards Israel from Lebanon The Israeli military says around 40 missiles have been launched towards Israel from southern Lebanon. Lebanese Hezbollah group said it fired missiles at the Meron air control base on Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee area. Sirens have sounded in the Israeli towns of Sasa, Kfar Hoshen, Dovif and Safsufa.  Click Hozier apologises after fan told to remove ‘Free Palestine’ scarf at concert Hozier has apologised after one of his fans was asked to remove a scarf saying “Free Palestine” at his concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. Wembley Stadium also apologised, clarifying that Hozier was not involved, and making a donation to the UNICEF Children in Gaza Appeal. In a post on social media, Hiba Ahmad said she was “pulled aside and escorted to wardrobe with a body cam for wearing a Palestine solidarity” item. Known for his song Take Me to Church, the Irish singer-songwriter has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and urged his fans to do the same. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-biden-comments-turn-focus-back-to-gaza-ceasefire

Newly-elected Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan began the voting process for the election of chief minister on Sunday (today) with members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) boycotting the session.  The session, which began with over a 30-minute delay, was disrupted after SIC members walked out of the assembly after the speaker turned down their request to address the forum. At the start of the session, Speaker Khan administered oath to two MPAs and then assured the lawmakers that he would run the House without any bias. The speaker then briefed the Assembly that after completing the scrutiny of the nomination papers, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz and SIC’s Aftab Ahmad Khan had emerged as the candidates vying for the chief minister’s slot. Following this, the speaker directed the secretary of the Assembly to brief the members about the voting process. Once this was completed, the SIC’s candidate for CM requested the speaker to address the House on a point of order but was barred from speaking. “In today’s session, only a chief minister has to be elected. You cannot talk in today’s meeting,” the PA speaker said, following which a commotion erupted and the SIC members walked out of the assembly. Speaker Khan constituted a four-member committee to convince the SIC members to participate in the CM’s election. The SIC members said they would not return to the house until they were given permission to talk on the point of order. The negotiating committee included Khawaja Salman Rafique, Imran Nazeer, Khalil Tahir Sindhu and Samiullah. The speaker said he had to run the house in accordance with the constitution and the point of order could not be held on election day. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) candidate Maryam Nawaz, said that the opposition should not leave the house or boycott the election. “They should contest the poll, whether they win or get defeated, as it was the beauty of a democracy,” she maintained. The speaker then also sent PPP’s Ali Haider Gilani and PML-Q’s Chaudhry Shafay Hussain to convince the SIC MPAs to return for the last time. While sending them the speaker warned that if the lawmakers do not return then he would move forward with the proceedings. However, the efforts to bring back the SIC lawmakers went in vain and the speaker continued with the proceedings to elect a new speaker with female members casting their votes. The members will remain in the lobby till completion of the voting process. Who will win CM election? Maryam is expected to win the election as her party has the backing of a majority of the house members, 224, after the February 8 general elections. The PML-N’s senior vice-president will create a new history by becoming Pakistan’s first-ever female chief minister if elected. Maryam’s opponent, Aftab Ahmad Khan, is the candidate fielded by the SIC, who has the support of 103 MPAs in the house. Aftab has served as a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA for three terms in the Punjab Assembly in 1988, 1993 and 2002. He joined the PTI in 2013 and is now serving his fourth term. To win the CM’s election, a candidate needs to win the backing of the majority which is 187 members in the house that currently has 327 seats. The PML-N and SIC are expected to hold separate meetings of the parliamentary parties ahead of the assembly session. Maryam to be 4th Punjab CM from Sharif family Apart from becoming the first female chief minister in the country, Maryam will also become the fourth member of the Sharif family and the first woman member of her family to get elected as CM if she wins the contest. The PML-N’s chief organiser was elected on two seats in Lahore — NA 119 and PP-159 — but later she withdrew from the National Assembly seat. In the PP-159 constituency, she contested against the PTI-affiliated candidate Mehr Sharafat and won with a slim margin. Overall, she is the sixth member of the Sharif family who has been elected in a general or a by-election. Before her, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz and Begum Kalsoom Nawaz were elected from Lahore. PML-N decides cabinet members Meanwhile, the PML-N has started finalising the names for Maryam’s cabinet. Party sources said that it was decided that the provincial cabinet would be constituted in a phased manner and for the first phase some names were under discussion. They said the provincial cabinet of the PML-N leader will contain ministers from the allied parties. Sources said in the first phase, 15 to 20 ministers were expected to be included in the cabinet from the PML-N with two each from the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), and one from the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP). The names under discussion included PML-N leaders Marriyum Aurangzeb, Azma Bokhari, Tahir Sindhu, Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rahman, Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Bilal Yasin, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Rukhsana Kausar, Manshaullah Butt, Sardar Sher Ali Gurchani, Kazim Ali Pirzada, Colonel (retired) Muhammad Ayub Khan Gadhi, Malik Asif Bhai, Akhtar Bosal, Rahila Khadim Hussain, Mian Yawar Zaman, Fida Hussain Watto, Tanveer Aslam Malik, Malik Asad Khokhar, Farrukh Ali Javed and Sheikh Salman Naeem. Sources further claimed that PPP’s Syed Ali Haider Gillani, Malik Ghazanfar Abbas Chheena of the IPP and Chaudhary Shafay Hussain of the PML-Q are likely to be inducted into the provincial cabinet. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1161693-punjab-assembly-to-elect-new-chief-minister-with-prospect-high-for-maryam

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in action in the two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Speaking at the “Ukraine. Year 2024” forum in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said that “each of these losses is a great sacrifice” for Ukraine. end of list He added that “tens of thousands of civilians” had been killed in occupied areas of Ukraine, but said that no exact figures would be available until the war was over. It’s the first time that Kyiv has confirmed the number of its losses since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Russia has also provided few official casualty figures. Independent Russian news outlet Mediazona said on Saturday that about 75,000 Russian men died in 2022 and 2023 fighting in the war. A United States intelligence report declassified in mid-December 2023 estimated that 315,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded in Ukraine. If accurate, the figure would represent 87 percent of the roughly 360,000 troops Russia had before the war, according to the report. Delays in arms shipments It has been two years since Russia invaded Ukraine and commemorations to mark the second anniversary brought expressions of continued support, new bilateral security agreements and new aid commitments from Ukraine’s Western allies. But Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov highlighted that they still needed to deliver on their commitments if Kyiv is to have any chance of holding out against Moscow and stressed that delays in arms shipments will cost lives. “We look to the enemy: Their economy is almost $2 trillion, they use up to 15 percent official and nonofficial budget [funds] for the war, which constitutes over $100bn annually. So basically whenever a commitment doesn’t come on time, we lose people, we lose territory,” he said, speaking at the Kyiv forum. Europe has admitted it will fall far short of a plan to deliver more than one million artillery shells to Ukraine by March, instead hoping to complete the shipments by the end of the year. Umerov highlighted that such delays put Ukraine at a further disadvantage “in the mathematics of war” against Russia, which the West has said is increasingly building a war economy. Kyiv has also been weakened by the blocking of a vital $60bn US aid package amid political wrangling in the US Congress. US President Joe Biden said the hold-ups directly contributed to Ukraine being forced to withdraw from Avdiivka. On Sunday, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said he was “deeply convinced that the US will not abandon Ukraine in terms of financial, military and armed support”. ‘Plan for new offensive against Russia’ In recent weeks, fighting has intensified on parts of the front line. On Sunday, Russian shelling and rocket strikes continued to pummel Ukraine’s south and east, as local Ukrainian officials reported that at least two civilians were killed and eight others were wounded in the Zaporizhia and Kherson provinces. Moscow and Kyiv also continued to trade nightly drone attacks, with Ukraine’s air defences shooting down 16 of 18 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched overnight by Moscow and a Russian drone on Sunday morning striking an unspecified facility in Ukraine’s western Khmelnytskyi region, the regional military administration reported without giving details. Russian troops also appeared to be pressing on west of Avdiivka, the strategic city whose capture this month handed Moscow a significant victory. Zelenskyy told a news conference on Sunday that Ukraine has a clear plan for a new counteroffensive against Russian forces. Kyiv’s troops conducted a counteroffensive last year, but were unable to break through prepared defensive lines in the Russian-occupied south and east. Advertisement AD “There is a plan [for a counteroffensive], the plan is clear, I can’t tell you the details,” Zelenskyy said. He said that a major shake-up that saw the head of Ukraine’s military replaced earlier this month was connected to the new plan of action on the battlefield. “This plan is related to the change of management; there are corresponding changes. Several plans will be prepared due to a leak of information,” Zelenskyy said, without elaborating. Earlier he said that Kyiv’s plans to conduct a counteroffensive last year had been leaked and ended up “on a desk in the Kremlin” before the operation had even begun. Meanwhile at the forum in Kyiv, besides highlighting issues in military deliveries, Umerov insisted that Ukrainian forces were doing “everything that’s possible, and also what’s impossible, to secure a breakthrough” this year. The defence minister said that a “strong” military strategy is already in place for the coming months, but did not disclose details. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/25/ukraines-umerov-says-delays-in-western-arms-deliveries-costing-lives