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KHARTOUM  –   At least 35 people have been killed after a crowded mar­ket in Sudan’s capital was hit with “explosive weapons”, a medical charity said. The Mé­decins Sans Frontières (MSF) described it as “carnage”, say­ing that more than 60 people had also been wounded in the attack. Local volunteers say a military aircraft bombarded the Qouro market in south­ern Khartoum on Sunday. Rival military factions have been fighting since April. On Sunday, MSF’s emergen­cy coordinator Marie Burton said Khartoum “has been at war for almost six months”. “But still, the volunteers and medical personnel in Bashair hospital are shocked and overwhelmed by the scale of horror that struck the city” on Sunday, she added on X, formerly Twitter. The MSF said “explosive weapons” had hit the market and that air strikes and shelling con­tinued in “another day of un­thinkable suffering and loss of life”. “We’re trying to save the lives of people whose body parts have been ripped off by the explosion. It was a carnage,” MSF added. Su­dan plunged into a civil war in April after army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander of the para­military Rapid Support Forc­es (RSF) Gen Mohamed Ham­dan Dagalo fell out. Source:https://www.nation.com.pk/11-Sep-2023/deadly-attack-strikes-khartoum-market-leaving-dozens-dead

Morocco has announced its acceptance of offers of assistance from Spain, the UK, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates following a 7-magnitude earthquake late Friday. In a written statement Sunday, Morocco’s Interior Ministry said the country has accepted offers from the four nations to dispatch search and rescue teams. The authorities carefully assessed the necessary requirements, considering the potential consequences of coordination deficiencies in such situations following the earthquake, the statement added. The statement said the search and rescue teams entered the country on Sunday to work in coordination with Moroccan teams, and it was emphasized that offers of support from other friendly countries could be accepted based on potential needs in the field. It also expressed Morocco’s gratitude for the initiatives extended by various countries. At least 2,122 people were killed and 2,421 others were injured when a magnitude-7 earthquake struck Morocco late Friday, according to the Interior Ministry. The quake was the strongest to hit the North African country in the last century, according to Morocco’s National Geophysical Institute. Source:https://www.nation.com.pk/11-Sep-2023/morocco-accepts-offers-of-assistance-from-4-countries-following-earthquake

The Sindh health authorities have issued special guidelines to the airports and airlines after a rise in pink eye infection or conjunctivitis cases. The provincial Border Health Services (BHS) director Dr Murtaza Shah said in a statement that guidelines have been issued to the medical staff and airlines after a rise in pink eye infection cases. The airlines have been directed to ask the infected passengers to contact the doctor of the health department at the airports. Dr Shah clarified that no travel ban is imposed on the passengers infected with Pink Eye, however, the health department’s doctor will give travel advice to the infected traveller after examination. Pink eye is caused by a virus or bacteria that is very contagious and spreads easily and quickly from person to person. People can reduce the risk of getting or spreading pink eye by following some simple self-care steps. Source:https://www.nation.com.pk/09-Sep-2023/pink-eye-infection-special-guidelines-issued-to-airports-airlines

HONG KONG   –  Hong Kong was flooded by the heaviest rainfall in near­ly 140 years on Friday, leav­ing the city’s streets and some subway stations un­der water and forcing its schools to close. Just across the border, authorities in China’s tech hub Shen­zhen recorded the heaviest rains since records began in 1952. Climate change has increased the intensity of tropical storms, experts say, with more rain and stronger gusts leading to flash floods and coastal damage. The heavy rains in Hong Kong started on Thursday and in the hour leading up to mid­night, the city’s weather ob­servatory recorded hourly rainfall of 158.1 millimetres at its headquarters, the highest since records began in 1884. On Friday after­noon, the Hospital Author­ity said at least 110 people were hospitalised due to in­juries, with four in serious condition. A man was found unconscious off the shore of western Hong Kong Island and declared dead at the hospital, though authorities were still investigating if the death was flood-related. The city’s highest rainstorm warning level, “black”, was hoisted for a record-break­ing 16 hours before being lowered at 3:40 pm Friday, with rainfall mostly easing by late afternoon. “It’s abso­lutely shocking,” said Jacky, 52, who lives in the Wong Tai Sin district with his elderly parents. “I don’t remember floods ever being this bad in our district.” “The bottom floor of the mall is complete­ly flooded, the water level is higher than the storefronts… it’s turned our day into cha­os,” he added. Authorities issued flash flood warnings, with emergency services conducting rescue opera­tions in parts of the territo­ry. “Residents living in close proximity to rivers should stay alert to weather con­ditions and should consider evacuation” if their homes are flooded, the observato­ry said. It also warned of po­tential landslips, telling mo­torists to “keep away from steep slopes or retaining walls”. Hong Kong’s stock exchange cancelled all trad­ing sessions on Friday. Source:https://www.nation.com.pk/09-Sep-2023/hong-kong-flooded-by-heaviest-rainfall-in-140-years

At least 632 people were killed and 392 others injured following a powerful earthquake that struck Morocco, the country’s Interior Ministry said Saturday. Fatalities from the magnitude 7.0 quake occurred in various regions, including Al Haouz and Marrakesh provinces, as well as the cities of Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant, the ministry said in a statement. The earthquake was the strongest tremor to hit the North African country in the last century, Morocco’s National Geophysical Institute said. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the epicenter of the earthquake, which hit just after 11 p.m. local time (22:00 GMT), was 75 kilometers (46.6 miles) southeast of Marrakech, at a depth of 18.5 km. Videos on social media captured the immediate aftermath and showed residents spilling out onto the streets. The situation was said to be particularly dire in the Marrakech region, where numerous buildings were said to be collapsed and residents trapped under debris. Local media said some buildings, including the famous red walls that surround the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage, were damaged. The Royal Armed Forces urged citizens to exercise caution and directed them toward safe areas to shield them from aftershocks. Tremors were also felt in neighboring Algeria and Mauritania. The Turkish Red Crescent said it is following the developments closely, and was in coordination with the international aid group and others in the region. In 2004, more than 600 people were killed and many others injured when a magnitude 6.3 quake hit northeastern Morocco. Source:https://www.nation.com.pk/09-Sep-2023/over-600-killed-in-powerful-quake-in-morocco

The Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his devoted companions is being observed today with religious reverence to remember their supreme sacrifices for the cause of Islam. Mourning processions will be taken out in various cities and towns across the country to pay homage to the martyrs of Karbala. Additional measures have been taken for the security of the processions. In Lahore, the main procession will start from Haveli Alif Shah and pass through the main roads and end at Karbala Gamy Shah. According to IGP Punjab Dr Usman Anwer, more than 30,000 officers of the Punjab Police are carrying out security duties. He said today, 677 Majlis and 378 processions are being held across the province including Lahore. In Karachi, the main procession will be taken out From Nishtar Park this afternoon and will be culminated at Imam Bargah Hussainia Iranian kharadar after passing g through traditional route of Numaish Chowrangi, Saddar, Impress market, regal Chowk and MA Jinnah road. The Sindh Governor Kamran khan Tessori has directed district administration and law enforcement agencies that foolproof security arrangements be made for the mourning processions and Majalisis across the province on the occasion. Source :https://www.nation.com.pk/07-Sep-2023/chehlum-of-hazrat-imam-hussain-ra-being-observed-today

BRASÍLIA-Torrential rain and winds caused by an extratropical cyclone have left at least 21 people dead in southern Brazil, officials said Wednesday, warning more flooding may be coming. The latest in a string of weather disasters to hit Brazil, it is the deadliest ever in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference. “We were deeply saddened to get the news that as the water recedes… 15 more bodies were found in the town of Mucum, bringing the death toll to 21,” he said. Source: https://www.nation.com.pk/07-Sep-2023/cyclone-leaves-21-dead-in-southern-brazil

VÓLOS-Storms have killed at least 14 people in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, with a Greek region hit by more rain in 24 hours than it normally sees in a year, officials said Wednesday. A period of extreme heat has given way to heavy storms, turning streets in northwestern Turkey into rivers and hitting Greece with unprecedented downpours as it recovers from weeks of wildfires. “Everything saved from the fire we had in July has been destroyed by this bad weather,” said Christos Kleftakis, 49, in Nea Anchialos, near the central Greek city of Volos. “This is unprecedented — these severe weather events, the strength of the rain, the wind. I’ve never seen anything like that before,” he added. As the world warms, the atmosphere contains more water vapour which increases the risk of heavy precipitation in some parts of the world, notably in Asia, Western Europe and Latin America. Combined with other factors such as urbanisation and land-use planning, these more intense rainfall events contribute to flooding. Greece’s central Magnesia region got rainfall of 600-800 millimetres (24-31 inches) over a 24-hour period including Tuesday, a government meteorologist told reporters in Athens. Dimitris Ziakopoulos called it an “unprecedented phenomenon” for the country’s meteorological data, which dates back to 1955. The storm, dubbed “Daniel” by Greek weather experts, has been battering the country since Monday, mainly affecting the Magnesia region and its capital city Volos, 300 kilometres (185 miles) north of Athens. An 87-year-old woman missing since Tuesday was found dead on Wednesday in the village of Paltsi in Magnesia, fire department spokesman Yannis Artopios told public broadcaster Ert Source:https://www.nation.com.pk/07-Sep-2023/storms-kill-14-in-mediterranean-east-europe

ISLAMABAD: A militant having blood on his hands of more than 40 members of the Hazara community, including the Mach attack he masterminded killing a dozen coal miners of the same ethnicity, has finally been apprehended by a civilian agency, the Intelligence Bureau, when he entered Pakistan from Afghanistan. Son of a baildar, a low-rank government employee, Abdul Bari, had been on the watchlist of all security agencies since January 2021 when he together with affiliates slaughtered 11 coal miners of the Hazara community in a ruthless attack, which was claimed by Daesh. The incident led to the Hazara community protesting for consecutive six days with dead bodies at the Western Bypass in Quetta, asserting that they would not bury them unless the-then prime minister Imran Khan visited them. The burial took place only after the PM visited them. The massacre had taken place near Mach, which is close to the border with Afghanistan, when armed militants kidnapped the miners from their residence and took them to nearby mountains. A horrific video from the scene showed victims’ bodies scattered across the floor of a small hut with their hands bound together. All agencies had since looked out for the terrorist responsible. The IB has been keeping an eye on him right in Afghanistan waiting for him to return to Pakistan. As he planned to visit his family in Mastung unaware that his movements were being tracked, Abdul Bari was taken into custody on his way to Quetta from Spin Boldak (Afghanistan). He carried out his activities from the lawless bordering region of Afghanistan. Abdul Bari’s exploits into terrorism and sectarian-based violence began in his early years when he remained a student of various seminaries in Karachi and Rahim Yar Khan. He has been associated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan for more than 10 years. During his studies in Karachi, some of the Baloch students from Turbat, affiliated with Taliban, were involved in brainwashing the students to join them. Some of the students, including Abdul Bari, were persuaded to move to Afghanistan where they were offered 40 days training. In 2015, Abdul Bari again went to Afghanistan and participated in many of the Taliban operations against the US and NATO forces. Meanwhile, he also remained associated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and carried out sectarian attacks in Pakistan. Later, he joined Daesh. In 2020, when Abdul Bari graduated from a madrassa in Rahim Yar Khan, he was informed by one Qari Ubaid Ullah in Afghanistan about the plan of a Daesh associate regarding the attack on Hazaras in Mach. Abdul Bari agreed to the plan and execution of attack. Subsequently, Bari, along with Qari Ubaid Ullah and two Afghans, met five Daesh associates to devise a plan to attack the coal miners of Hazara ethnicity in Mach. Besides the Mach attack, Abdul Bari was also an architect of a number of terrorist attacks spanning over more than a decade. In October 2011, he along with his associates intercepted a bus which carried about 30 passengers, including about 25 Hazaras. They entered the bus and opened fire at the passengers, killing 14 of them. They allowed the non-Hazaras to leave before shooting the others to death. Abdul Bari also orchestrated Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar attack in October 2010, killing 10 and leaving dozens of people injured. They also surveilled the target Imambargah in Saddar, Karachi. However, seeing the better security there, they cancelled the plan of attack and decided to target the Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar, where they conducted twin suicide blasts. Later, in April 2013, he along with three associates, ambushed a shoe-making store on the main intersection located on Prince and Masjid Road, Quetta, and killed six Hazaras besides injuring three others. After joining Daesh in 2016, Abdul Bari would collect chanda/charity from drug traffickers and other well-off people, using the name of Taliban in Helmand (Afghanistan) and Chagai (Balochistan). He would hand over the money to his Daesh associates, which would later on be used in Daesh activities both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In December 2017, Daesh had attacked a Methodist Church in Quetta, killing nine and injuring 56 others. The finances for the attack inter alia had also come from Abdul Bari’s chanda collection. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1107220-militant-wanted-in-attacks-on-hazara-community-arrested

At least 21 people were reported to have died in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil after a cyclone brought torrential rains and powerful winds, according to the officials, who issued further warnings about floods. Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that it was the deadliest ever in the history of the state, in a string of weather disasters to hit the country. He said: “We were deeply saddened to get the news that as the water recedes… 15 more bodies were found in the town of Mucum, bringing the death toll to 21.” Close to 6,000 people were forced from their homes by the storms, which started Monday, dumping hail and more than 300 millimetres (nearly 12 inches) of rain on the state in less than 24 hours and triggering floods and landslides, according to officials. In Mucum, a small town of 5,000 people, hundreds had to be rescued from their rooftops as the Taquari River flooded more than 85% of the city, according to local news site GZH. “There are still people missing. The death toll might climb higher,” Mayor Mateus Trojan told Radio Gaucha, adding that “the town of Mucum as we knew it no longer exists.” Aerial view of the area affected by an extratropical cyclone in Muçum, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, taken on September 5, 2023. — AFP President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sent a message of solidarity with those affected, saying the federal government is “ready to help.” Over 50,000 affected The victims included a man killed by an electrical shock in the town of Passo Fundo and a couple whose car was swept away by a river as they tried to cross a bridge in the town of Ibiraiaras. The storms hit 67 municipalities in all, affecting more than 52,000 people, authorities said. The neighbouring state of Santa Catarina also recorded one death, according to news site G1. Hundreds of firefighters as well as military police and civil defense personnel were dispatched as part of rescue operations, with helicopters sent to reach areas cut off by flooding. “There are many isolated families, many people still at risk,” said Communications Minister Paulo Pimenta, who is planning to travel to the region with a government delegation Wednesday. With more rain forecast from Thursday, authorities warn more flooding is possible. It is the latest in a string of deadly weather events to hit Brazil, which experts say are likely being made worse by climate change. Unchecked urbanisation and irregular housing built on hillsides are also making such disasters deadlier, officials say. An estimated 9.5 million of Brazil’s 203 million people live in areas at high risk of flooding or landslides. In June, another cyclone left 13 dead in Rio Grande do Sul and forced thousands of people from their homes. In February, 65 people died in landslides caused by record flooding in the southeastern resort town of Sao Sebastiao, on the coast of Sao Paulo state. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1107282-21-dead-as-powerful-cyclone-ransacks-villages-town-in-southern-brazil