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Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/11/30/live-israeli-attacks-kill-nearly-100-in-gaza-as-hunger-grips-enclave

At least 15 people have died and 113 others are still missing after landslides buried homes in six villages in eastern Uganda, police said. Another 15 injured people have been rescued and admitted to Buluganya Health Center. The Uganda Red Cross Society said Thursday that 13 bodies had been recovered after landslides buried 40 homes and the rescue effort was continuing. Local media reported that authorities expect the death toll could rise to 30. The landslides happened after heavy rains on Wednesday night in the mountainous district of Bulambuli, where landslides are common. The district is about 280 kilometers (173miles) east of the capital, Kampala. More than a hundred people were missing on Thursday, after the landslides buried homes across six villages. Jean Watala/AP A journalist in the area told The Associated Press that local officials said an excavator would be brought to assist in the rescue efforts, but the roads were covered in mud and the rain was still falling. The affected area is about 50 acres (20ha) with homesteads and farmlands spread downhill. Photos and videos of people digging through mud in search of victims were shared on social media platforms. Some of the houses were completed covered by mud while others only had a roof showing above the ground. The Daily Monitor newspaper reported that most of the bodies recovered so far were those of children. The prime minister’s office issued a disaster alert on Wednesday stating that heavy rains across the country had cut off major roads. Two rescue boats capsized on Wednesday during a rescue mission on River Nile where Pakwach bridge was submerged. Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/28/africa/eastern-uganda-landslides-intl/index.html

Violence has left 151 individuals injured, as tensions in region show no signs of abating Clashes in District Kurram continue, with three more fatalities reported, bringing the death toll to 110 over the last eight days despite a recently brokered ceasefire. The violence has also left 151 individuals injured, as tensions in the region show no signs of abating. The district administration confirmed that the Peshawar-Parachinar highway has been shut for the eighth day in a row, severely affecting daily life and halting trade activities. The Deputy Commissioner of Kurram, Javedullah Mehsud, confirmed that the road closure has also halted trade at the Kharlachi border with Afghanistan, further exacerbating the economic impact on the region. Additionally, due to the tense situation, internet and mobile phone services have been suspended, causing severe difficulties for residents, limiting their access to communication and essential services. On Thursday, the death toll in the clashes had reached 107, with five additional fatalities and nine injuries reported despite claims of a ceasefire deal. A 10-day truce was brokered earlier in the week, but intermittent violence has rendered it ineffective. The recent episode of clashes began eight days ago with ambushes on two separate convoys under police escort, resulting in 52 deaths on November 21. Since then, violence between the warring factions has escalated, with police struggling to maintain control. The main highway closure has not only disrupted local transportation but also caused a complete suspension of trade with Afghanistan, particularly at the Kharlachi border. Meanwhile, the district administration is working to enforce the ceasefire. Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud reported that efforts are underway, with a jirga of elders from Hangu, Orakzai, and Kohat engaging both sides to secure a truce. “The parties have agreed to the ceasefire, and steps are being taken to stop clashes,” he said. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan recorded 79 deaths in the region between July and October this year, highlighting the persistent instability. Previous efforts to mediate peace, including a seven-day truce brokered by provincial officials earlier this month, have failed to hold. A high-powered delegation, including KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry and IGP Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, had also negotiated a ceasefire last weekend, but violence resumed shortly afterward.   Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1256242-three-more-perish-in-clashes-in-kurram-bringing-death-toll-to-110

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/11/29/live-israel-kills-42-across-gaza-accused-of-truce-violations-in-lebanon

Cairo, EgyptReuters —  Four bodies were recovered on Tuesday from a tourist boat which capsized off Egypt’s Red Sea coast, and rescue teams were still searching for seven missing people, the Red Sea Governorate said in a statement. Provincial governor Amr Hanafi said rescue teams had found five people alive, two Belgian tourists, one Swiss, one Finn and an Egyptian, bringing the total number of survivors to 33. The boat, the Sea Story, capsized on Monday near the Sataya Reef while carrying 31 tourists and 13 crew on a multi-day diving trip. It was struck by high waves and sank in five to seven minutes. Twenty-eight people were rescued with minor injuries. They are staying in a hotel in Marsa Alam, where authorities are working with embassies to provide assistance and documentation. Hanafi said the boat had passed its last safety inspection in March with no technical issues reported. Owned by an Egyptian national, the vessel was 34 meters long and had received a one-year safety certificate from the Maritime Safety Authority. The incident occurred during rough weather conditions. The Egyptian Red Sea Ports Authority reported wave heights of 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) and wind speeds of 34 knots in the area on Sunday, leading to the closure of maritime traffic. The Sea Story was the second boat to sink in the area this year. A vessel suffered severe damage from strong waves in June, though no casualties were reported. The Red Sea, renowned for its coral reefs and marine life, is a major hub for Egypt’s tourism industry, which plays a critical role in the country’s economy. Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/26/africa/red-sea-tourist-boat-bodies-found-intl/index.html

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership announced on Wednesday that it ended the ongoing protest which was launched in Islamabad three days ago in view of the federal government’s ‘plan to shed the blood of innocent citizens’. The announcement comes after the party’s protesters were dispersed from the Red Zone in Islamabad following a crackdown by law enforcers with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and PTI founder Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi taking to their heels, fleeing the protest site. The PTI’s central media cell issued a press release on Wednesday, saying, “In light of the government’s brutality and plans to turn the federal capital into a “slaughterhouse” for unarmed citizens, we are announcing the temporary suspension of our peaceful protest.” The former ruling party said that it would announce the future course of action in the light of guidance from party founder Imran Khan. It said that the party’s political and core committees would analyse the details of the government’s brutality toward the citizens during the protest and later, the findings would be shared with the PTI founder. So far, the party has received the details of eight martyrs, said the PTI spokesperson. The martyrs include Anis Shehzad Satti, Malik Mubeen Aurangzeb, Abdul Qadir, Malik Safdar Ali, Ahmed Wali, Muhammad Ilyas, and Abdul Rashid, per the PTI spokesperson.,” the statement added. Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif claimed that the PTI founder had agreed to move the ongoing protest to outskirts of Islamabad, but his spouse Bushra Bibi refused to do so. PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat told Geo News that he and Gandapur were not in favour of the PTI march to enter D-Chowk as the KP chief minister wanted the workers do not exceed the limits of Kulsoom Hospital. After the PTI march entered the red zone, the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) started operation and pushed back the marching protesters from Islamabad’s D-Chowk — the venue of the party’s much-touted power show. The PTI protesters retreated from the site following the heavy teargas shelling and action by the authorities with Bushra Bibi and KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur fleeing the protest venue on board a vehicle. Sources said the personnel of the Islamabad police chased them and reportedly captured their guards. Later, sources privy to the chief minister’s family said that the two safely arrived in KP.  Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1255446-pti-claims-govt-planned-violence-suspends-peaceful-protest

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/11/27/live-countdown-to-lebanon-ceasefire-as-israel-reaches-deal-with-hezbollah

Russia’s use of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Thursday is the latest escalation in the Ukraine war. It also marks a decisive, and potentially dangerous moment in Moscow’s conflict with the West. The use of what Vladimir Putin said was a ballistic missile with multiple warheads in offensive combat is a clear departure from decades of the Cold War doctrine of deterrence. Ballistic missiles with multiple warheads, known as “multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles,” or MIRVs, have never been used to strike an enemy, experts say. “To my knowledge, yes, it’s the first time MIRV has been used in combat,” Hans Kristensen, the director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, said. Aftermath of Russian missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, on November 21, 2024. Ukrinform/Cover Images/AP Ballistic missiles have been the underpinning of deterrence, offering what is known as “mutual assured destruction,” or MAD, in the nuclear age. The thinking is, if even a few missiles survive a nuclear first strike, there will be enough firepower left in the opponent’s arsenal to wipe out several major cities of the aggressor, therefore ensuring neither side is unable to escape the consequences of nuclear actions. In that vein, ballistic missiles were designed to stand sentinel over a future where nuclear arms would never again be fired in anger. But analysts, including Kristensen, argue that MIRVed missiles may invite, rather than deter, a first strike. The highly destructive capacity of MIRVs means that they are both potential first-strike weapons and first-strike targets, Kristensen and colleague Matt Korda at the Federation of American Scientists wrote in a study published in March. That’s because, it’s easier to destroy multiple warheads before they are launched, than try to shoot them down as they are dropping at hypersonic speed on their targets. And according to a recent posting from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a US-based nonprofit science advocacy organization, this creates a “use them or lose them” type scenario — an incentive to strike first in a time of crisis. “Otherwise, a first strike attack that destroyed a country’s MIRVed missiles would disproportionately damage that country’s ability to retaliate,” said the posting. Videos of Thursday’s Russian strike showed the multiple warheads falling at different angles on the target, and each warhead would need to be defeated with an anti-missile rocket, a daunting prospect even for the best air defense systems. And while the warheads dropped on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday were not nuclear, their use in conventional combat operations is certain to raise new uncertainty in a world already on edge. Importantly, Russia alerted the United States to the use of the missile fired Thursday beforehand. But even with that advanced warning, any further launches by Putin’s regime will now inevitably ratchet up fears across Europe, with many asking the question: Has deterrence just died? Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson ordered not to discuss reported ICBM strike during news conference The world MIRVs It is not only Russia and the United States that have MIRV technology. China has it on its intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-proliferation, and the United Kingdom and France, along with Russia and the US, have long had MIRV technology on their submarine-launched ballistic missiles. And there are new players in the MIRV game, too. Pakistan reportedly tested a missile with multiple warheads in 2017, and earlier this year India said it had successfully tested a MIRVed ICBM. Analysts worry about land-based MIRVs more than those on subs. That’s because subs are stealthy and hard to detect. Land-based missiles, especially those in stationary silos, are more easily found and therefore are more tempting targets. In their March report, Kristensen and Korda wrote about the perils of the expanding MIRV club, calling it “a sign of a larger worrisome trend in worldwide nuclear arsenals” and an “emerging nuclear arms race.” Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/22/europe/russia-mirv-deterrence-analysis-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

ISPR says two terrorists also injured in intelligence-based operation The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday that security forces have killed three terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in District Bannu. The military’s media wing, in a statement, said that the IBO took place in the early hours of Friday with not only terrorists or “khwarij” being killed, but two also sustaining injuries. The ISPR mentioned that the forces recovered weapons, ammunition, and explosives from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as target killing of innocent civilians. The military’s media wing added that the sanitisation operation was being carried out to eliminate any other khwarij found in the area, as the security forces are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country. The operation comes days after terrorists martyred at least 12 security personnel in a suicide attack in the same Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district of Bannu, the ISPR said, while six terrorists were killed. The country has been reeling under a spike in terror attacks on security forces and civilians — especially in KP and Balochistan. As per a report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the third quarter of 2024 saw a 90% increase in fatalities linked to terrorist violence and counterterrorism operations. The report recorded 722 deaths and 615 injuries in 328 incidents, with KP and Balochistan accounting for 97% of fatalities. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the security forces for carrying out a successful operation in Bannu to eliminate terrorists. In their separately issued statements, both the president and prime minister lauded the gallantry of the security forces for killing three terrorists and arresting another two in injured condition. President Zardari reiterated the resolve that the security forces would continue their action till the complete elimination of terrorists. “We will continue to thwart the evil designs of these enemies of humanity. The government is fully resolved to purge the country of terrorism,” Prime Minister Shehbaz said and vowed to continue the anti-terror fight till the elimination of this scourge.Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1253821-forces-eliminate-three-terrorists-in-bannu-operation

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/11/22/live-palestine-welcomes-war-crimes-arrest-warrants-for-israeli-leaders