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Another 28 people still to be located as investigation into sinking underway At least 15 people have died and dozens more are missing after a ferry carrying hundreds capsized in the southern Philippines. At least 28 people remained missing on Monday afternoon as search and rescue teams scoured the area, with hundreds already rescued from the sinking vessel. The ferry, MV Trisha Kerstin, was travelling to Jolo Island in Sulu province after leaving port from Zamboanga. Hundreds of passengers were rescued from the sinking vesselopen image in galleryHundreds of passengers were rescued from the sinking vessel (AP)The vessel sent a distress signal four hours after it departed, having developed technical problems, and sank after midnight, coast guard officials said. The time of its capsizing was placed at around 1.50am local time on Monday morning. A Philippine Coast Guard vessel, a surveillance plane, an air force Black Hawk helicopter and fleets of fishing boats were deployed to assist with the rescue operation. A Facebook live video also showed distressed passengers shouting for help in the dark. Coast Guard Commander Romel Dua said the vessel was operating within its authorised passenger capacity of 352, with 332 passengers on board and 27 crew members at the time of the incident. Survivors of the sunken MV Trisha Kerstin 3 being transferred to another shipopen image in gallerySurvivors of the sunken MV Trisha Kerstin 3 being transferred to another ship (Philippine Coast Guard/AFP)He said the efforts of search and rescue teams were helped by relatively calm waters. “There was a coast guard safety officer on board and he was the first to call and alert us to deploy rescue vessels,” Mr Dua said, adding that the safety officer survived. Mr Dua said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the accident. Rescue teams initially struggled with the sheer number of passengers, and understaffed hospitals were overwhelmed by the sudden surge of survivors, local media reported. “We cannot say for now the reason of the sinking, but we were instructed to conduct a marine casualty investigation to determine the cause,” Mr Dua said. Mujiv Hataman, governor of the island province of Basilan, shared clips from the scene at Mindanao’s Isabela Port on Facebook, showing survivors being ushered off boats, with some wrapped in thermal blankets and others being carried on stretchers. Emergency workers assist victims as they arrive at Isabela Port, Basilan provinceopen image in galleryEmergency workers assist victims as they arrive at Isabela Port, Basilan province (Reuters)“I’m receiving 37 people here in the pier. Unfortunately, two are dead,” Mr Hataman said. Mr Hataman said on DZBB radio that most survivors were doing well, but several elderly passengers needed emergency medical attention, adding that officials were still verifying the passenger list as rescue operations continued. Ferry accidents are not uncommon in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands where boats are a primary mode of transport, particularly in remote and poorer regions. RECOMMENDEDBodies washed up on beach believed to be men who went missing on Christmas DayViewers all distracted by same thing as climber scaled skyscraper on livestreamNever Put Eggs In The Refrigerator. Here’s Why…Car Novels|SponsoredWhen Premium Jewelry Appears During Seasonal Retail TransitionsJewelry Stories|SponsoredPowered by TaboolaSome of the country’s deadliest maritime disasters have involved ferries, including the 1987 Doña Paz sinking, which killed more than 4,300 people, making it one of the world’s worst peacetime sea disasters. In 2023, more than 30 people were killed after a fire tore through a ferry in the southern Philippines.

Report estimates that more than a million children live in areas controlled by or under the influence of armed gangs. Gangs in Haiti are recruiting children and targeting them with violence and sexual assault, Amnesty International said in a report detailing the effects of the long-running civil unrest ravaging the Caribbean nation. A report published on Wednesday estimates that more than one million children live in areas controlled by or under the influence of armed gangs in Haiti, and condemned offences committed against young people as “human rights abuses”. Haiti has no president or parliament and is ruled by a transitional body, which is struggling to manage extreme violence linked to criminal gangs, poverty and other challenges. More than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti last year as a result of gang violence, about a thousand more than in 2023, according to the United Nations. Amnesty’s report echoes concerns voiced by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, in November. The group reported then that gang recruitment of children in the country has risen by 70 percent, and that between 30 to 50 percent of gang members in Haiti are children. The new report highlights 14 Haitian children recruited by gangs to spy on rival groups and police, as well as to carry out work such as making deliveries or repairing vehicles. One of the children interviewed said he was constantly pressured by a gang to fight alongside it. “They killed people in front of me and asked me to burn their bodies. But I don’t have the heart for that,” the unidentified boy was quoted as saying. If children refuse to follow a gang’s orders, they or their families would be killed, according to the report, which relied on interviews and research conducted from May to October 2024. Haitian girls are frequent victims of abductions, rape and other sexual assaults during gang attacks, Amnesty said. The violence also has led to injury and death. One girl, 14, recounted how a ricocheting bullet pierced her lip in September 2024. Three months before that, her 17-year-old brother died from a stray bullet. “I lost a huge presence in my life. Since then, I don’t know how to be happy,” the girl said. Amnesty also identified attacks on schools and hospitals, as well as the blocking of humanitarian aid, as examples of “grave violations” suffered by children. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/12/children-in-haiti-falling-prey-to-gruesome-gang-violence-amnesty-warns

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/2/6/live-trumps-gaza-plan-condemned-as-palestinians-pledge-to-never-leave

At least 56 people have been killed after violent clashes during a football match led to a stampede in Guinea’s second-largest city of N’Zerekore, according to the government. “Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes” at Sunday’s match, the government statement said on Monday, published as a news ticker on national television. “Hospital services have put the provisional death toll at 56.” The violence broke out during a match on Sunday afternoon in N’Zerekore, home to 200,000 people, where rival fans stormed the field following a controversial referee decision, news site Guineenews reported. Earlier, health officials quoted by the AFP news agency put the death toll in the dozens. “There are bodies lined up as far as the eye can see in the hospital,” said the doctor. “Others are lying on the floor in the hallways. The morgue is full.” Guinea’s Prime Minister Bah Oury condemned the violence and urged calm in a statement posted on X on Sunday. He said the government would issue a release once it gathered all the information. Police station ablaze The clashes began after supporters of the visiting team, Labe, hurled stones at the pitch in anger over a referee call, prompting the police to deploy tear gas, according to local news site Mediaguinee. Later, angry demonstrators also vandalised and set fire to the N’Zerekore police station, Guineenews reported. “It all started with a contested decision by the referee. Then fans invaded the pitch,” a witness told AFP. According to Mediaguinee, the match was part of a tournament organised in honour of Guinea’s military leader, Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup and has installed himself as president. Such tournaments have become common in the West African nation as Doumbouya eyes a potential run in the presidential election likely next year. Guinea’s National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy (ANAD), a coalition of opposition parties, blasted the tournament, calling it an attempt to advance Doumbouya’s “illegal and inappropriate candidacy”. Doumbouya seized power by force in September 2021, overthrowing the government of President Alpha Conde, who had placed the then-colonel in charge of an elite force tasked with protecting the head of state from such coups. Under international pressure, Doumbouya pledged to hand power back to a civilian government by the end of 2024 but has since made clear he will not. The military leader “exceptionally” promoted himself to the rank of lieutenant general in January and last month elevated himself to the rank of army general. Doumbouya has presided over an ongoing crackdown on dissent, with many opposition leaders detained, brought before the courts or forced into exile. A “transitional charter” drawn up by the military rulers shortly after the coup said no member of the military could stand in either national or local elections. But Doumbouya’s backers have recently expressed their support for his candidacy in the presidential election. At the end of September, authorities indicated that elections intended to restore constitutional order would be held in 2025. Doumbouya is one of several officers who have seized power in West Africa since 2020, along with military leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/2/dozens-feared-dead-after-stampede-breaks-out-at-guinea-football-match

Jirga participants will “speak to elders to reopen roads and sign peace agreement,” says official The warring tribes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district has finally agreed on a ceasefire deal, the Deputy Commissioner confirmed on Sunday as the death toll in deadly clashes reached 130. “Armed tribesmen were removed from the firing posts while police and forces have been deployed [in the region],” the DC said in a statement without divulging details. The latest spell of violence, which continued for the 11th consecutive day, has claimed at least 130 lives and injured 186 others as six more individuals lost their lives and eight others sustained injuries in the overnight firing. 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 clans has escalated, with police struggling to maintain control. The Kurram region is facing a communication blackout, with mobile and internet services suspended and educational institutions closed. The closure of the main highway has not only disrupted local transportation but also caused a complete suspension of trade with Afghanistan, particularly at the Kharlachi border. A 10-day truce was brokered earlier this week, but intermittent violence has rendered it ineffective. In the statement issued today, the deputy commissioner said that the jirga participants would “speak to elders to reopen roads and sign a peace agreement.” Furthermore, the official said, Kohat Division elders and parliamentarians would visit Kurram district to ensure a peace agreement between the warring tribes. 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 in November, 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 afterwards. “Demolish their dugouts” A day earlier, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur emphasised the need for establishing peace in the area and ordered authorities to demolish dugouts of rival tribes and seize their weapons. The provincial chief executive issued the directives during a grand jirga, organised in Kohat district, which was attended by elders of the rival tribes. He also directed the authorities concerned to take measures for the “immediate resettlement” of homeless victims in Kurram. “People’s loss of life and property should be compensated immediately,” he added. Furthermore, he said, the weapons in the possession of the rival tribes should be immediately seized. “The administration will keep those weapons in its custody until peace is restored,” he added. The chief minister also called for action, including arrest and registration of cases, against those spreading hatred on social media. He also urged the parties to announce a ceasefire and implement previous peace agreements immediately. “Peace cannot be restored without the cooperation of the citizens,” he concluded.  Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1257087-peace-deal-reached-between-warring-kurram-tribes-says-dc-as-death-toll-hits-130

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/12/2/live-israeli-forces-kill-10-palestinians-in-north-gaza-four-in-west-bank

A video has surfaced in which a terrorist associated with outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Rooh Ullah, revealed that injections were administered to the attackers to numb them a few days before their departure for the terror attacks. In a video statement, the detained terrorist made revelations about his and other suicide bombers’ training in a seminary in Afghanistan and how they infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border via facilitators. He was caught by security forces who along with other suicide bombers illegally crossed the Afghan border to enter Pakistan to carry out bombings in a cantonment area. However, the terror plot was foiled by security personnel via timely action. The terrorist, in his statement, said that he was a student of a seminary — Tarteel-ul-Quran — in Tortam village in Afghanistan’s Dangam for one year. He said that the seminary gives training to suicide bombers and he also received training for 10 days. Molvi Sibghatullah along with Farooq and Zakir taught them about suicide bombings in the seminary, said Rooh Ullah. He also revealed that injections were administered to the attackers two days before their departure [for the missions] to numb them, after which they could no longer comprehend what was happening around them. After the completion of their training, Rooh Ullah along with four others were transported to Batish village of Nari district in a green-coloured vehicle and later they started travelling to the Afghan border. He said that a facilitator namely Jawad received the group of suicide bombers who helped them to enter Pakistani territory and after that, responsibility for the group’s next destination was handed over to another man — Sajjad. According to the arrested terrorist, two suicide bombers including Sajid and Abid were separated from them and Sajjad took him to a mosque. The handler had instructed him to meet another person Suleman on a bridge. After travelling for one hour, they reached a tunnel where he and Suleman separated again. He said that Suleman had asked him to receive a suicide vest from Jameel who would also guide him about carrying out an attack in a cantonment area. He further said that he was given directions to ride a truck but he was immediately arrested by security forces after entering the vehicle. However, he did not disclose details of which areas they were going to target and from where he got arrested in a raid. Pakistan witnessed a surge in terror activities over the past few months, particularly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces, for which the government and military blamed the terrorists operating from Afghan soil to launch cross-border attacks inside the country. Islamabad has time and again urged the Kabul administration to take decisive action against the terror outfits involved in targeting security forces and civilians in Pakistan. The federal government, intending to cope with rising terrorism, including cross-border infiltration, launched operation “Azm-e-Istehkam,” a renewed national anti-terror drive as part of the National Action Plan earlier this year in June. In another move to shift its war on terror from a physical to an ideological front, the government had categorised the outlawed TTP as “Fitna al-Khawarij” in July. The government also made it mandatory for all institutions to use “Khariji” before the names of perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior. According to the notification, titles such as ‘Mufti’ and ‘Hafiz’ will not be used for individuals associated with terrorist organisations, while in all correspondence and documents, the term “Khariji” will be written and read before their names. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1226707-detained-terrorist-reveals-suicide-bombers-desensitised-before-carrying-out-attacks