Category: WORLD

Islamabad, Aug 3 (IANS) The death toll from the suicide bombing at Kabal Police Station in Swat district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 17 after two more injured police personnel succumbed to their injuries, local media reported on Monday.

Police authorities said that two police personnel injured in the suicide blast died while undergoing treatment at the hospital. With the latest fatalities, the number of police personnel who have been killed in the attack rose to seven while the total fatalities from the attack climbed to 17. Police said that 13 injured police personnel were undergoing treatment at the hospital, Pakistan-based Samaa TV reported.

The incident took place near the gate of the police station, where hundreds of people had gathered to participate in a public demonstration at Kabal Chowk, leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported.

Swat District Police Officer Umar Khan said that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives after police personnel tried to stop him at the station’s entry gate. According to the DPO, security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the incident.

The incident occurred amid a rise in attacks targeting law enforcement personnel in Pakistan, especially in the border provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On July 22, a police personnel was killed after unidentified assailants opened fire on him in Sarvekai area of Upper South Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media reported, citing officials.

The officials said the police constable, deployed at Sarvekai police station, was heading to perform his official duty when unidentified assailants opened fire on him near a stream in the Moley Khan Sarai area, Dawn reported. He succumbed to his injuries at the site of the incident before medical assistance could reach him.

After the incident, police and law enforcement personnel rushed to the site of the incident and collected evidence. A search operation was initiated to find and arrest the perpetrators. Police officials said that a probe was being conducted from multiple angles.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) The situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) worsened overnight as protesters refused to disperse and security forces allegedly opened fire on demonstrators.

Reports from PoK said that the security forces launched a midnight crackdown on protesters, with gunfire reported in Rawalakot.

An Intelligence Bureau official said the reported gunfire came as scores of women and children joined the ongoing protest. Many women and children have remained at the protest site for the past 50 days, with dozens more joining them on Sunday.

Pakistan, which has refused to accept the demands raised by the people of PoK, has instead continued to deploy more security personnel at protest sites across the region.

An official said that to date, more than 40 persons have been killed by the security forces.

“The fear is that a desperate Pakistan may start targeting women and children only to spread fear among the people in the region. They can go to any lengths to put down the protests, and this could result in a human tragedy of an unimaginable level,” the official said.

The protests began with the people of the region asking for better amenities and more development. The protests have intensified after the election process began in PoK.

The allegedly rigged elections have also deepened differences within the ruling coalition, with tensions emerging between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), according to protesters.

The PPP has accused the PML-N of colluding with the Pakistan Army to rig the elections. Protesters and opposition leaders also allege that Field Marshal Asim Munir is seeking tighter control over PoK by ensuring the installation of a leader aligned with the military establishment.

Protesters have now announced plans to march to Muzaffarabad to voice their opposition to what they describe as a heavily manipulated election. They allege that Pakistan’s extensive interference in the administration of PoK has undermined the democratic process and left the region with little or no development.

Another official said that the protesters, who have held out against every atrocity committed by the security forces, are not going to leave anytime soon. There have been protests in PoK earlier, but Pakistan has always managed to put them down. This was done either by force or by making promises which were never kept by the political class of Pakistan.

“This time, the situation is different. The people of the region are determined to make their voices heard, even if it comes at a very high cost,” the official said.

Officials say that the security buildup is massive. They have been instructed to carry out intermittent firing at protest sites at regular intervals.

Pakistan hopes it can scare the protesters and get them back down, the official added.

Experts say that the situation in the region was already tense, and the completion of the electoral process is unlikely to restore normalcy anytime soon.

In fact, matters are only going to get worse, and the new government in PoK will find it very difficult to function. The people are demanding accountability, and they are well aware that the new government has come to power only after a lot of rigging took place, the experts say.

Officials say that PoK would continue to remain on the edge.

The challenge for Pakistan has grown significantly as the protests are no longer confined to Rawalakot. People from across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have joined the agitation, which is now spreading rapidly across the region. Once larger crowds begin to mobilise, Pakistani security forces will face an increasingly difficult task in containing the unrest, the official said.

–IANS

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Dhaka, Aug 3 (IANS) People in Dhaka and other areas of Bangladesh have been facing hardships as many compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered auto-rickshaws and public transport vehicles have not been operating due to an ongoing gas shortage in the country, local media reported on Monday.

Transport services have been disrupted because vehicles did not receive an adequate gas supply after waiting in long queues for hours, leaving commuters facing problems.

Many vehicle drivers said that they stood in queues late at night until the following morning or even afternoon to get a gas supply, Bangladesh-based leading daily The Dhaka Tribune reported.

Students, office-goers and patients have been facing problems in reaching their destinations on time due to the unavailability of public transport on the roads.

“On other days, I can easily get a CNG by standing on Banasree E-Block Avenue Road. But today, even after waiting for more than 1 hour, I did not find a single empty vehicle,” The Dhaka Tribune quoted a commuter as saying.

Commuters even said that many drivers were asking for higher fares as there was a shortage of public transport on the road. They said that auto-rickshaws operating on CNG did not take fare as per meters while contract fares had doubled and, in some cases, tripled.

Meanwhile, transport owners said that more than half of their vehicles were not operating due to a shortage of gas supply, leading to financial losses for both owners and drivers.

The ongoing gas crisis in Bangladesh has reportedly been caused by a fire at a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Cox’s Bazar on July 21, which damaged one of its two boilers and forced the facility to stop operations.

The incident reduced Bangladesh’s gas supply to below 2,150 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), down from an average of around 2,700 mmcfd that had been maintained over the past year, despite the national daily demand standing at nearly 3,800 mmcfd, Bangladeshi media outlet United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.

The gas supply reduction has also impacted household kitchens, with gas pressure reducing to near zero or flickering feebly in many parts of Dhaka.

Residents in areas like Mirpur, Badda, Kalabagan, Kafrul, Mohammadpur, Kazipara, West Tejturi Bazar and Rampura said that gas stoves remained unlit or unusable for days.

Disruption of regular gas supply has forced many low-income families to build temporary clay stoves and cook with firewood. Others who can afford it have started using expensive electric cookers or LPG cylinders, further increasing their household spending.

–IANS

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Islamabad, Aug 3 (IANS) Amid the ongoing unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has shared a video on social media platform X showing Pakistani forces dragging and assaulting an unarmed civilian on the road in Muzaffarabad city of the occupied territory.

The JAAC urged the United Nations, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, international media, and diplomatic missions to examine the footage, independently verify the facts, and press for an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into the reported events.

While sharing the footage on X, the JAAC stated, “We call on the United Nations, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, international media, and diplomatic missions to examine this footage, independently verify the facts, and press for an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into the reported events. We also urge the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to closely monitor the humanitarian situation and ensure that those who are injured and other civilians affected receive protection and humanitarian assistance in accordance with its mandate.”

Earlier in the day, JAAC put forward the proposals aimed at promoting peace, stability and meaningful dialogue. The group said that the decision was taken despite the grave situation in PoK, where security forces opened fire on unarmed and peaceful civilians.

On Sunday, people in PoK continued to participate in the long march that began on June 9. The JAAC said that the protest held on Sunday demonstrates that the movement is rooted in the demands of the public for fundamental rights, justice, and the implementation of commitments made by the authorities.

“The Long March that began on 9 June continues. Despite weeks of arrests, killings, injuries, and intimidation, the people continue to march with determination. Today’s protest is another reminder that this movement is rooted in the people’s demand for fundamental rights, justice, and the implementation of commitments made by the authorities. This movement belongs to the people. As long as those legitimate demands remain unmet, the voices of the people will continue to be heard,” the JAAC posted on X.

A large number of people held a sit-in protest at D-Chowk in Rawalkot of PoK on Sunday and prepared to start a peaceful long march towards Muzaffarabad.

According to a statement released by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), security forces have been carrying out intermittent heavy firing. The JAAC said that women and children were holding a protest sit-in at Dreak, and it will continue until the demands of the movement are acted upon. The protesters shouted slogans like “Aawaz do hum ek hai, Kashmir ke pahadon mein hum ek hai.”

While sharing visuals from the protest site on X, the JAAC said: “Rawalakot: At D-Chowk, the public is staging a temporary sit-in protest, and a peaceful long march toward Muzaffarabad could commence at any time—security forces are carrying out intermittent heavy firing. However, no martyrdoms have been reported in Rawalakot.”

“At Dreak, where a protest sit-in was held for 50 days, women and children are now maintaining the sit-in, and it will continue until the movement’s recognised demands are acted upon. The Kashmiri people, united as one nation, have resolved that under no circumstances will they betray the blood of their martyrs,” it added.

On Saturday, JAAC member Sardar Umar Nazir Kashmiri said that more than 50 people have been killed and hundreds injured over the past four days in a brutal crackdown by Pakistani forces in PoK. The actual death toll is anticipated to be much higher.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday.

During the meeting, the two leaders agreed that the visit offers an opportunity to identify new areas of bilateral cooperation and deepen partnership across various sectors.

“Mr Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said that both countries share deep historical, cultural, and civilisational ties, rooted in ancient trade routes. The two leaders agreed that this visit provides an opportunity to identify new areas of bilateral cooperation and deepen our mutually beneficial partnership across diverse sectors,” the President’s Secretariat posted on X.

Earlier in the day, Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich arrived in New Delhi for an official visit to further strengthen bilateral relations between India and Uzbekistan.

In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “A very warm welcome to Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov of Uzbekistan on his arrival in New Delhi for an official visit.”

During his visit, Saidov Bakhtiyor is scheduled to hold discussions with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar.

He will also participate in a business forum in New Delhi, highlighting opportunities for expanding economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries.

The visit comes at a time when India and Uzbekistan are seeking to deepen their strategic partnership across multiple sectors, including trade, investment, technology, energy, education, and connectivity.

Ahead of the visit, EAM Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich on July 20 and discussed deepening bilateral ties.

“A good conversation with Bakhtiyor Saidov of Uzbekistan today. We spoke about deepening our bilateral ties, including in trade, investment and other areas,” EAM Jaishankar wrote on X.

Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich noted that he had a substantive phone conversation with EAM Jaishankar and agreed to continue regular dialogue.

He said bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and India, based on a strategic partnership, continue to develop steadily across all areas of cooperation.

He added that both sides also exchanged views on the schedule of upcoming bilateral engagements at the highest and high levels, as well as on further strengthening cooperation within international organisations.

Uzbekistan Foreign Minister emphasised that the two countries agreed to continue close, trust-based, and regular dialogue between their foreign ministries.

–IANS

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Kathmandu, Aug 3 (IANS) Nepal has formally requested India to recognise its National Identity Card (NID) as a valid travel document for cross-border travel, aiming to strengthen identity verification and security while facilitating the movement of people between the two countries, a senior immigration official said.

The NID is similar to India’s Aadhaar card and contains biometric information, including fingerprints, facial images and iris scans. The Nepali government has made the NID mandatory for accessing several public services, including passport applications, land registration, opening bank accounts and other government services, as it seeks to gradually replace the traditional citizenship certificate with digitally readable identity cards.

Nepal also wants India to recognise the NID as a valid document for the cross-border movement of Nepali citizens, as India currently recognises Nepal’s passport and citizenship certificate as official identity documents. Citizens of Nepal and India are not required to carry passports or visas to travel between the two countries.

Ram Chandra Tiwari, director general of the Department of Immigration, told IANS that his office sent a proposal to the Government of India in late June seeking recognition of the NID as a valid travel document for Nepali citizens.

“At present, India recognises mainly Nepal’s passport and citizenship certificate as official identity documents. We have formally proposed that the National Identity Card also be accepted as a valid identification document for air travel and cross-border movement,” Tiwari said.

Following Nepal’s request, officials from the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu recently sought information from Nepal’s immigration authorities about the NID.

“The embassy officials made informal inquiries regarding the card’s technical and security aspects. It was not a formal bilateral meeting but an exchange of information,” Tiwari said.

He said the NID offers stronger security than the traditional citizenship certificate.

“A citizenship certificate is merely a paper document without biometric information, whereas the NID provides a secure and reliable means of identification. Its recognition would enhance security arrangements for both Nepal and India,” he added.

Nepal and India share an open border, allowing citizens of both countries to travel without passports or visas for most forms of cross-border movement. Indian citizens travelling to Nepal by air are currently allowed to use passports, voter identity cards or identity cards issued by India’s federal or state governments.

More than 4.5 million Nepali citizens have already received the National Identity Card, while around 20 million people have enrolled for one, according to the Department of National ID and Civil Registration.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) Users in Pakistan have taken to social media platforms to express outrage over what they describe as the blocking of access to one of the international media outlets in the country following its coverage of recent developments in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Several users reported difficulties accessing Al Jazeera, which calls itself the first independent news channel in the Arab world, and raised concerns over press freedom, internet restrictions, and the public’s right to access independent information.

The reported restriction comes amid growing tensions in PoK, where protests and unrest have intensified over the past several days. The claims regarding the website’s inaccessibility have sparked a debate online, with users questioning whether the move was linked to Al Jazeera’s reporting on the ongoing situation in the region.

The controversy follows criticism from Pakistani authorities over international media’s coverage of sensitive issues related to the country. Officials have previously accused the international news organisation of biased reporting, while the outlet has maintained its role as an independent media organisation.

Some social media users also claimed that the reported restriction on the international news website came after sections within Pakistan’s military establishment were displeased with the channel’s coverage of developments in PoK.

Meanwhile, unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir continues to escalate, with reports claiming that more than 50 people have been killed and hundreds injured over the past four days during clashes between protesters and security forces. The actual number is anticipated to be much higher.

Taking to social media platform X on Saturday, Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) member Sardar Umar Nazir Kashmiri alleged that security forces had carried out a violent crackdown, stating that “more than 50 of our people” had been killed and hundreds injured in recent days.

In another statement, the JAAC said that late-night protests continued across the Muzaffarabad region, with demonstrators remaining on the streets while demanding protection of their fundamental rights and implementation of commitments made by local authorities.

The developments have also drawn international attention. The US-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF) condemned reports of the use of force against protesters in PoK and called on Pakistani authorities to halt the crackdown, restore communication services, and ensure accountability for any unlawful use of force.

The organisation, citing local civil society groups, said that the Pakistani security forces allegedly opened fire on thousands of peaceful protesters during demonstrations in the region. Authorities in Pakistan have not confirmed the reported death toll or allegations in the same terms.

The reported restrictions on international media websites, along with concerns over internet access and media coverage during the unrest, have intensified discussions about transparency, press freedom, and the flow of independent information during periods of political instability.

–IANS

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Seoul, Aug 3 (IANS) South Korea and the United States on Monday launched a joint underwater excavation project in waters off the country’s eastern coast to find wreckage of US aircraft that went down during the 1950-53 Korean War, Seoul’s defence ministry said.

The project, which is scheduled to run through August 28, will take place in Gangneung and Yangyang in Gangwon Province, involving the ministry’s Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification and the US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).

Some 40 people will be deployed for the project, including personnel from the South Korean Navy’s First Fleet and the Air Force’s 18th Fighter Wing, as well as US underwater planners and divers, according to the ministry.

The search will begin in waters off Yangyang County, about 215 kilometres east of Seoul, to find the wreckage of a US F4U Corsair fighter aircraft. The fighter jet crashed while conducting an escort mission of another damaged US attack aircraft in February 1952, leaving one pilot dead, records showed.

The research team will then focus on retrieving the wreckage of US military transport aircraft, known as the Curtiss C-46 Commando, which went down in the Gangneung area, about 170 kilometres east of Seoul, in October and November 1952, on two separate occasions, reports Xinhua news agency.

The incident left a total of 17 people missing from the plane crash in the first case, whereas two people were found dead and seven others missing in the November plane crash.

The joint survey team plans to conduct the search using underwater detector equipment and maritime unmanned systems, and deploy divers or remote sensing devices to inspect the scene upon finding the remains.

Seoul and Washington have made joint efforts to find the remains of US soldiers killed during the conflict after signing an agreement to conduct such excavations in 2011.

–IANS

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Cairo, Aug 3 (IANS) A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh early Monday, Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics said.

The earthquake occurred at around 3:00 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre located at 30.19 degrees north latitude and 32.61 degrees east longitude, according to the institute.

The institute said it had received reports that the tremor was felt by residents, “without any loss of life or property.” Xinhua correspondents also felt noticeable tremors in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

Following the earthquake, Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar ordered the immediate activation of the country’s health emergency plan and the convening of the ministry’s central crisis and emergency operations room.

The ministry raised the alert level to the highest at emergency and critical-care departments in hospitals nationwide and confirmed the readiness of ambulances and rapid-response teams.

It said the health situation remained stable, and no earthquake-related injuries had been reported.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Red Crescent activated emergency plans in cities where the earthquake was felt and said it had received no reports of casualties or property damage.

Egypt lies close to active tectonic zones around the Gulf of Suez, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, making the country susceptible to occasional moderate earthquakes, although most result in little to no damage.

Located in the Mediterranean Sea, where the African Plate slides beneath the Eurasian Plate, causing moderate to strong seismic activity felt in northern Egypt.

–IANS

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Seoul, Aug 3 (IANS) South Korea’s Navy said on Monday it carried out its first mine-sweeping trial using artificial intelligence (AI) technology and unmanned vessels, as it seeks to advance its future maritime operational capabilities.

The trial, jointly led by South Korean defence company Hanwha Systems, took place at a naval base in the southeastern port city of Busan, involving its 730-ton Ongjin minesweeper and spy drones, as well as two unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and one autonomous underwater vehicle developed by Hanwha, the Navy said.

The hypothetical exercise began under the scenario that the Busan port was blockaded by enemy mines, reports Yonhap news agency.

Hanwha’s USVs are not equipped for minesweeping purposes, but they acted as if they were during this trial, as the vessels are expected to be upgraded with mine-clearing capabilities in the future, the Navy said.

The trial mission was directed by an “AI staff officer” system, which analysed weather and sea current conditions to guide the human commander on the Ongjin vessel and the two unmanned vessels.

Based on the report from the AI staff officer, the Ongjin and the unmanned ships set up search zones to locate simulated sea mines, while the spy drones simultaneously assessed the operational environment around the port.

The combat trial proved that combining AI-supported missions with manned and unmanned crew operations will be effective for future naval operations, the Navy said.

In a separate development, earlier in July, South Korea’s state arms procurement agency officially concluded a deal with Hanwha Ocean Co. to kick-start the development of a next-generation Navy destroyer, with the aim of delivering the lead ship to the Navy by 2032.

The Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it inked the deal with Hanwha Ocean on detailed planning and construction of the lead ship for the Korea Destroyer Next Generation (KDDX) program.

–IANS

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