Daily News Pakistan

Pope Francis on Sunday called on the international community to help flood-hit Pakistan. According to international media, his comments came as he visited the city of L'Aquila in central Italy, which was hit by an earthquake that killed more than 300 people in 2009. The 85-year-old pope praised the people of L'Aquila's "resilience" and "dignity". Pope Francis, who used a wheelchair during the visit, was due to return to the Vatican early this afternoon. He will chair a meeting with cardinals from around the world on Monday and Tuesday, where they will discuss the future of the Catholic Church.

Clashes have erupted between rival Libyan militias in the centre of Libyan capital Tripoli, with the sound of gunfire echoing through the heavily populated part of the capital city threatening two years of relative peace following a ceasefire deal. The violence early on Saturday comes in the wake of a build-up of rival forces in Tripoli over the past week, who are jostling for power, as the North African country remains divided between rival administrations in the east and the west. The country’s democratic transition was delayed after the presidential elections scheduled for last December were postponed indefinitely. Tensions have risen after Fathi Bashagha, backed by the east-based parliament, was sworn in as prime minister in February, amid calls for Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the head of the transitional government based in Tripoli, to cede power. The United Nations had voiced concern after the Tobruk-based parliament voted to install Bashagha as prime minister. Unde...

Flooding in Afghanistan this month has killed more than 180 people as torrential rains wrought widespread devastation in central and eastern provinces. As per international media reports, 182 people had been killed and 250 injured. More than 3,100 houses were destroyed and thousands of livestock were killed, exacerbating the country’s economic and humanitarian crisis. Afghanistan has been reeling from natural disasters this year, including drought and an earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people in June. The nation has been largely cut off from the international financial system since the Taliban took more than a year ago. Global humanitarian agencies have provided assistance for months, but have warned they need more access and funding to avoid a humanitarian disaster with thousands left homeless and no access to shelter or clean drinking water. In Khoshi district in central Logar province, aid workers described widespread destruction from the powerful floods in recent days...

North Korea says it has found four new fever cases in its border region with China that may have been caused by coronavirus, two weeks after Kim Jong Un declared victory over COVID-19. According to international media, North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said on Thursday that health workers were conducting genetic tests on the samples taken from four people in the Ryanggang Province who exhibited fevers to confirm whether they were caused by the “malignant epidemic”. Authorities immediately locked down the areas where the fever cases emerged and plan to maintain tight restrictions and quarantines until health workers determine the cause of the illness. “[Health authorities] pay attention to the fact that those with fever had not been infected by the malignant epidemic,” KCNA said. The country’s emergency anti-virus headquarters dispatched “talented epidemiological, virology and test experts to the area” and is taking steps to “trace all persons … connected with the...

Afghan refugees and migrants living in limbo at a United Arab Emirates (UAE) facility for nearly a year since being evacuated from Afghanistan held protests this week over what they say is a slow and opaque resettlement process. Hundreds of Afghans carried banners and shouted for freedom on Monday and Tuesday, two Afghans in the facility told Reuters, estimating that thousands were awaiting resettlement to the United States or other countries. Pictures and videos shared with Reuters showed children, women and men protesting inside the facility in Abu Dhabi, known as Emirates Humanitarian City, with temperatures in the Gulf Arab state reaching 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit). One boy held a small banner that read: “One year is enough!” Men and children chanting “we want justice” were seen in one video wearing white blindfolds inscribed with the word “freedom”. The men and some children had bound their wrists, in an apparent gesture to what some Afghans said are prison-like conditions ...

Artillery shells rained down on a city close to Europe’s biggest nuclear plant on Saturday night and Russian missiles hit targets near Odesa, a Ukrainian Black Sea port and a grain export hub, as the war headed for its six-month milestone on Aug 24. The day will also mark 31 years of Ukraine’s independence from Soviet rule and President Volodymyr Zele­nskiy in a nightly video address called for vigilance, saying Moscow could try “something particularly ugly”. As Ukraine prepared to mark its independence day embroiled in a war that has flattened towns and cities, killed thousands and forced millions to flee, military and regional officials reported more Russian strikes on targets in the east and south of the country. Of particular concern was the shelling of Nikopol, a city which lies across the Dnipro river from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s and Europe’s biggest nuclear plant. It has been held by Russian forces since March. Nikopol was shelled on five different occasions overnight, reg...

At least 16 people died and another three were injured after a truck collided with a stationary minibus in Russia’s Ulyanovsk region. According to international media, the driver of a heavy goods vehicle did not slow down in good time and hit a stationary minibus,” Ulyanovsk’s interior ministry said in a statement on Sunday. Roadworks at the scene of the accident meant the minibus was waiting in a queue to move. “The minibus was wedged between two lorries,” the ministry said. Video footage broadcast by the police showed the crumpled husk of what appeared to be the minibus sandwiched between two trucks and emergency service workers inspecting the flattened vehicle. Russia’s investigative committee opened a criminal investigation, the truck driver was among those killed. Three other people, two men and a woman, were taken to hospital in a serious condition, Ulyanovsk Governor Alexei Russkikh wrote on Telegram. As per media reports, Violations of road safety regulations are common...

North Korea imported more than 1 million facial masks and 15,000 pairs of rubber gloves from China in July, shortly before declaring victory over Covid-19, Chinese trade showed on Saturday. Pyongyang last week declared victory over the coronavirus, ending a little-detailed fight against “fever” cases that had risen to 4.77 million. It has registered no new such cases since July 29. Still, China exported 1.23 million facial masks to North Korea in July, worth $44,307, surging from 17,000 the previous month, according to data released by Chinese customs. From January to July, the last month for which data is available, the North bought more than 11.93 million masks from China, data showed. North Korea did not import any Covid-19 prevention and control products from China in May, the data showed. China’s overall exports to North Korea surged to $59.74 million in July from $19.05 million in June. Top exports were semi- or wholly milled rice, cigarettes, disodium carbonate and smoke...

Russian fertilisers and agricultural products must be able reach world markets “unimpeded” or a global food crisis could strike as early as next year, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday. “It is important that all governments and the private sector cooperate to bring them to market,” he said from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC). The JCC oversees the implementation of the Ukrainian grain export agreement signed in July by Kyiv and Moscow with the UN and Turkey as guarantors. The agreement also guarantees Russia the right to export its agricultural products and fertilisers despite Western sanctions. “What we see here in Istanbul and in Odessa is only the more visible part of the solution. The other part of this package deal is the unimpeded access to the global markets of Russian food and fertiliser, which are not subject to sanctions,” Guterres said, adding that despite this, Russian fertiliser and agricultural exports still faced “obstacles.” “Without fert...

China says it will continue to work with Pakistan under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects to ensure that cooperation outcome are better delivered. A Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin during a media briefing in Beijing said CPEC is an important pilot program under Belt and Road Initiative. He said the programme focuses on development and people’s livelihood and has got wide recognition from outside. The spokesperson said that the CPEC has brought tangible benefits for socio-economic development of people’s lives.

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Thursday of a nuclear disaster in Ukraine during his first face-to-face talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky since Russia’s invasion began, echoing pleas from the UN’s chief. A flare-up in fighting around Europe’s largest nuclear facility in Russian-controlled southern Ukraine has sparked urgent warnings from world leaders and UN chief Antonio Guterres cautioned during talks with Erdogan that any damage to the plant would be akin to “suicide”. “We are worried. We don’t want another Chernobyl,” Erdogan said during a press conference in the eastern city of Lviv, during which he also assured the Ukrainian leader that Ankara was a firm ally. “While continuing our efforts to find a solution, we remain on the side of our Ukraine friends,” Erdogan said. Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” about the situation at the plant and said it had to be demilitarised, adding: “We must tell it like it is — any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is su...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated the commitment to stand by Pakistan in hard times and extends full support to flood victims. In a tweet, he said one million dollars will be given to Pakistan to build resilience against natural disasters. He said this amount is in addition to one hundred thousand dollars in immediate relief. We stand by Pakistan in hard times and offer our support to flood victims. In addition to $100,000 in immediate relief, the U.S. announced $1 million to build resilience against natural disasters, and we continue to work together to mitigate future impacts of the climate crisis. https://t.co/eDSeZOrvaE — Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 17, 2022 The US Secretary of State said we continue to work together to mitigate future impacts of the climate crisis in Pakistan.

Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military drills, Beijing’s defence ministry said. Beijing and Moscow have close defence links and China has said it wants to push bilateral relations “to a higher level,” even as Moscow faces international sanctions and widespread condemnation over its war in Ukraine. China’s defence ministry said Wednesday its participation in the annual “Vostok” exercises — which Moscow has said will take place from August 30 to September 5 — is part of a bilateral cooperation agreement with Russia. “The aim is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, enhance the level of strategic collaboration among the participating parties, and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats,” the Chinese defence ministry said in a statement. India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries will also participate, it said. China and India have been accused of providing diplomatic ...

A Chinese re­­search vessel bristling with antennas and communication gear docked at Sri Lanka’s Chinese-run port of Hambantota on Tuesday despite concerns from India and the United States about its alleged spying activities. The Yuan Wang 5 entered the deep-sea port after securing permission to enter Sri Lankan waters on the condition it would not engage in research, port officials said. It was originally due to arrive last week, but Colombo asked Beijing to defer the visit following objections by India, which shares Western concerns about Chinese activities in the region. But on Saturday, after intense negotiations, Sri Lanka announced a U-turn, saying permission was restored to dock at the southern port and remain for six days for refuelling and taking in other supplies. “We are granting the same facilities that we extend to all other countries,” government spokesman Bandula Gunawardana told reporters. “All these countries are important to us.” Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka...

A US delegation of lawmakers has arrived in Taiwan for a two-day visit during which they will meet President Tsai Ing-wen. A five-member delegation will meet senior leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, and trade following US House Speaker Pelosi’s visit and amid increasing tensions with China. According to international media, Beijing, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has held major military manoeuvres around the island to express its anger at this month’s visit to Taipei by United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The de facto US embassy in Taipei on Sunday said the delegation is being led by Senator Ed Markey, who is accompanied by four other lawmakers on what it described as part of a larger visit to the Asia-Pacific region. “The delegation will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate change, and other significant issues of mutu...

The FBI recovered documents that were labeled “top secret” from former US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. According to international media a property receipt unsealed by the court on Friday shows FBI agents took 11 sets of classified records from the estate during a search. The property receipt is a document prepared by federal agents to specify what was taken during a search. The seized records include some that were marked as classified and some top secret. The court records did not provide specific details about the documents or what information they might contain. On Friday, Trump claimed that the documents seized by agents at his Florida club were “all declassified”, and argued that he would have turned over the documents to the Department of Justice if asked. “Number one, it was all declassified. Number two, they didn’t need to ‘seize’ anything. They could have had it anytime they wanted without playing politics and breaking into Mar-a-Lago,” Trump wr...

A wildfire was advancing through the Gironde region of southwestern France on Wednesday, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents, some of whom had clambered onto rooftops as the flames got closer. More than 1,000 firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft were fighting the fire that has razed more than 6,000 hectares and is still burning out of control. France, like the rest of Europe, is struggling with successive heatwaves and its worst drought on record. Dozens of wildfires are ablaze across the country, including at least four other major ones. In the village of Hostens in the Gironde, police went door to door telling residents to leave as the fire advanced. Camille Delay fled with her partner and her son, grabbing their two cats, chickens and house insurance papers before taking flight. "Everyone in the village climbed onto their rooftops to see what was happening - within ten minutes a little twist of smoke became enormous," the 30...

Chinese and Taiwanese warships played high-seas “cat and mouse” on Sunday ahead of the scheduled end of four days of unprecedented Chinese military exercises launched in reaction to a visit to Taiwan by the US house speaker. Nancy Pelosi’s visit last week to the self-ruled island infuriated China, which responded with test launches of ballistic missiles over the island’s capital for the first time and the cutting of communication links with the United States. Some 10 warships each from China and Taiwan sailed at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line, an unofficial buffer separating the two sides, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The island’s defence ministry said in a release multiple Chinese military ships, aircraft, and drones were simulating attacks on the island and its navy. It said it had sent aircraft and ships to react “appropriately”. As Chinese forces “pressed” the line, as they did on Saturday, the Ta...

Tlaib all but secures a third term in US Congress after comfortably defeating primary challengers in Michigan district. Dearborn, Michigan, US – US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has all but secured re-election after comfortably fending off primary challengers and an advertising campaign by a pro-Israel group. Tlaib won the Democratic Party’s nomination for a newly drawn congressional district in Michigan, the Associated Press projected early on Wednesday, defeating three other candidates who vied for the seat, including Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey. With more than a third of the votes reported, Tlaib was leading with 64 percent; Winfrey, her nearest competitor, was at 20 percent. The congresswoman, who was first elected to the US Congress in 2018, had to overcome a campaign from a pro-Israel group that was established earlier this year with the main aim of defeating her. The new district, which includes parts of Detroit as well as the suburbs of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights ...

Sri Lanka’s new president Ranil Wickremesinghe has formally invited MPs to join an all-party unity government to revive the bankrupt economy by undertaking painful reforms, his office said on Sunday. Wickremesinghe took office earlier this month after public anger over the island nation’s worst economic crisis forced his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and quit. In a meeting on Saturday with the influential monks of the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, one of Buddhism’s most sacred shrines, Wickremesinghe outlined his plans. “As the president, I wish to start a new journey,” Wickremesinghe was quoted as telling the monks in his first meeting with the powerful Buddhist clergy since taking office. “I would like to get all the parties together and go on that journey as well as to form an all-party government.” He has written to all lawmakers asking them to join a unity government. A former opposition MP, Wickremesinghe, 73, took up the premiership for the sixth tim...