Israeli Forces Open Fire On People In Gaza At Aid Point, 104 Killed

TEL AVIV, Feb 29: Israeli forces in war-torn Gaza opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians at an aid distribution point Thursday, killing at least 104 people and wounding over 700 according to Palestinian health officials.

Israeli sources confirmed that troops shot at the crowd, believing they "posed a threat", in the pre-dawn incident in Gaza City in the north of the besieged territory.

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza condemned what it labelled a "massacre" and said it had claimed at least 104 lives and left 760 people wounded.

A witness said that the violence unfolded when thousands of people desperate for food rushed towards aid trucks at the city's western Nabulsi roundabout.

"Trucks full of aid came too close to some army tanks that were in the area and the crowd, thousands of people, just stormed the trucks," the witness said, declining to be named for safety reasons.

"The soldiers fired at the crowd as people came too close to the tanks."

The Israeli army initially said that "during the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the northern Gaza Strip, Gazan residents surrounded the trucks and looted the supplies being delivered".

It added that "during the incident, dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of pushing and trampling. The incident is under review."

Later an Israeli source said, speaking on condition of anonymity, that "the crowd approached the forces in a manner that posed a threat to the troops, who responded to the threat with live fire".

As the dead and wounded were taken to several of Gaza's few functioning hospitals, health officials reported a steadily rising death count.

"Medical teams are unable to deal with the volume and type of injuries arriving at Al-Shifa Medical Complex as a result of weak medical and human capabilities," one official said in a statement.

Gaza is facing an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation nearly five months into the war started by Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel's relentless military campaign to eliminate Hamas has killed more than 30,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry.

The UN estimates that the vast majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people are threatened with famine, particularly in the north where destruction, fighting and looting make aid delivery almost impossible.

According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, just over 2,300 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip in February, down by around 50 per cent compared to January.

Thursday's bloody incident spurred a heated exchange at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Palestinian ambassador Ibrahim Mohammad Khraishi confronted his Israeli counterpart on the reported casualties and said: "Are these human shields? Are these Hamas combatants?"

First batch of Indian civilian personnel reaches Maldives to operate 3 aircraft

NEW DELHI, Feb 29: India said on Thursday that the first batch of Indian “technical personnel” had reached the Maldives to replace military personnel who were operating two helicopters and an aircraft used mainly for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

The move follows an ultimatum given by the Maldives pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu for withdrawing all Indian military personnel from the Indian Ocean archipelago. Close to 80 Indian personnel are stationed in the Maldives to operate two Advanced Light Helicopters and a Dornier aircraft provided by India.

“The first batch of [Indian] technical personnel to operate an Advanced Light Helicopter at Gan [island] has reached the Maldives. It will replace the existing personnel that were until now operating this platform,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a media briefing.

He declined to give details about the team, including its strength, and did not specify the date for the third meeting of a core group set up by India and the Maldives to deal with the issue of the military personnel. Such issues are “decided in mutual consultation”, he said.

The defence ministry of the Maldives announced on Monday that the first team of Indian civilian personnel had reached the country to replace the military personnel. It also said the Indian military personnel station on Addu, the country’s southern-most atoll, will leave the Maldives by March 10.

Following the second meeting of the core group earlier this month, the Maldivian foreign ministry said India would replace military personnel for one aircraft by March 10 and complete replacing all the personnel by May 10. The Indian side said that both countries had agreed on “mutually workable solutions” for operating the three aircraft.

Muizzu, widely perceived as being close to China, has sought to move the Maldives away from dependence on India in crucial sectors such as food security and defence following his victory in last year’s presidential election. Besides finalising arrangements with Sri Lanka for medical evacuation services, Muizzu’s government has signed agreements with Turkiye to drones to be used for maritime surveillance.

The Maldives government has also said it will carry out all maritime surveillance operations by itself, instead of depending on other countries.

The Maldives has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and New Delhi has poured billions of dollars, including grants and soft loans, into development and infrastructure projects. The budgetary allocation for the Maldives in India’s budget for 2024-25 was ₹779 crore, up from ₹600 crore projected earlier.

Biden Says Israel Would Halt War During Ramadan if Hostages Released

WASHINGTON, Feb 27: President Biden said Israel has agreed to halt the war in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan if Hamas releases hostages, adding pressure to negotiators who are racing to broker a cease-fire this week.

Israeli officials declined to comment on Biden’s remarks, made during an appearance Monday on NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers."

Earlier on Monday, Biden said fighting in Gaza could stop as early as the coming weekend, the most detailed timeline to date from the White House on a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.

The U.S., Israel and Arab negotiators view the coming of Ramadan, which begins around March 9, as a key deadline to reach a deal for a weekslong pause in the conflict. The framework under discussion would allow for the release of some 40 hostages held by Hamas, more humanitarian aid to flow to starving Palestinians and the freeing of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

“The hostages being held must be released," Biden told Meyers. “There’s been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan, as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out."

Talks brokered by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt this year have been halting, with some mediators skeptical that the gaps between Israel and Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, could be closed in time for Ramadan. Israeli officials have said they would attack the last Hamas stronghold in the border city of Rafah if a deal isn’t reached by the beginning of Ramadan.

Biden told Meyers that “there is a path forward, with difficulty."

Earlier on Monday in New York City, the president responded to a question from a reporter about the negotiations and when a pause might begin. “I hope by the end of the weekend," Biden said.

The president added that his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told him, “We’re close."

A crucial meeting in Paris last week helped revive stalled negotiations. The mediators’ main challenge is to produce an agreement convincing Hamas that a permanent cease-fire would eventually be possible at the end of a humanitarian pause, while allowing Israel to avoid any such commitment, negotiators have said.

Any eventual deal may need Biden to step in himself, as he did last November to seal a weeklong cease-fire that freed more than 100 hostages with calls to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.

The latest meeting came after Israeli officials said there was a chance of progress in the talks. Hamas also had indicated to Egyptian officials it could be flexible in its demands for the release of more Palestinian prisoners in return for hostages.

Sweden Now Part Of NATO After Hungary's Parliament Ratifies Bid

BUDAPEST, Feb 26: Hungary's parliament on Monday ratified Sweden's NATO bid, clearing the final obstacle for an enlargement of the military alliance spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The vote ends more than a year of delays that left fellow NATO partners furious as Ukraine battled Russian troops.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said it was a "historic day".

Russia's February 2022 invasion prompted Sweden and neighbouring Finland to apply to join the bloc, ending a long-standing stance of non-alignment in both countries.

But while Finland became the 31st member of the US-led defence alliance in April last year, Sweden's bid was held up. Turkey only ratified it last month.

On Monday, Hungary finally followed, with 188 members of parliament voting in favour and six against Sweden's accession.

"Today is a historic day... Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security," Kristersson said in a statement to X.

Earlier Monday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor had asked fellow lawmakers to approve Sweden's bid.

"The Swedish-Hungarian military cooperation and Sweden's accession to NATO will strengthen Hungary's security," Orban told parliament.

Ahead of the vote, Orban's nationalist Fidesz party -- whose ruling coalition with the Christian Democratic KDNP holds a two-thirds majority in parliament -- had indicated it would support Sweden's bid.

All opposition parties except the far-right Our Homeland movement were in favour of ratification.

Though repeatedly saying it supported Swedish membership in principle, Hungary kept prolonging the process by asking Stockholm to stop "vilifying" the Hungarian government.

Budapest accused Swedish officials of being "keen to bash Hungary" on rule-of-law issues.

After a meeting on Friday between Orban and Kristersson in Budapest, the nationalist Hungarian leader announced that the two had clarified "our mutual good intentions".

Hungary also signed a deal to acquire four Swedish-made fighter jets, expanding its existing fleet of 14 Jas-39 Gripen fighters.

Now that parliament has approved the Nordic nation's bid, the president is expected to sign it in the coming days.

Sweden will then be invited to accede to the Washington Treaty and officially become NATO's 32d member.

In the case of Finland, Turkey was the last to give the green light on March 30, 2023, and Finland became a NATO member on April 4.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, most NATO members were keen to quickly approve the membership bids of both Finland and Sweden.

For Sweden, Ankara cited security concerns, before moving ahead with the ratification.

In Hungary's delay, some experts saw a strategy to wring concessions from Brussels to unlock billions of euros in frozen funds.

Others argued it underlined Orban's closeness to the presidents of Russia and Turkey.

For analyst Mate Szalai of Venice's Ca' Foscari University, Orban was simply playing to his domestic audience.

"Orban wanted to go as far as he could without causing serious problems to the Transatlantic community while proving that Hungary is a power to be reckoned with," he said.

While Hungary's "confrontational behaviour" did not reap any tangible results, it might have "been beneficial domestically for the ruling Fidesz party", he added.

"Many initiatives of the Hungarian government are designed to provoke a backlash in Europe," said Szalai.

"And most criticism expressed towards the Orban government (from outside Hungary) actually helps Fidesz to maintain its popularity in the country."

Paris Truce Talks Came To 'Understanding' On Possible Hamas Hostage Deal: US

WASHINGTON, Feb 25: The United States said Sunday that multinational talks in Paris came to an "understanding" on a possible deal for Hamas to release hostages and for a new ceasefire in the Middle East.

"Representatives of Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar met in Paris and came to an understanding among the four of them about what the basic contours of a hostage deal for temporary ceasefire would look like," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN.

Qatar likely to host mediated Hamas-Israel truce talks

CAIRO, Feb 25: Qatar will host mediated talks between Hamas and Israel aiming to finalise an agreement on a truce this week, Egyptian security sources said.

Representatives from both parties will later travel to Cairo for further talks aimed at reaching an agreement on the timing and mechanism for executing any deal, including hostage releases, the sources said.

The first pause in fighting, in November, saw the release of around half of the 253 people Hamas seized during an October 7 cross-border killing spree that sparked the war. In that deal, Israel freed three times the number of Palestinians from its security prisons and admitted more humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Paris Truce Talks Came To 'Understanding' On Possible Hamas Hostage Deal: US

WASHINGTON, Feb 25: The United States said Sunday that multinational talks in Paris came to an "understanding" on a possible deal for Hamas to release hostages and for a new ceasefire in the Middle East.

"Representatives of Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar met in Paris and came to an understanding among the four of them about what the basic contours of a hostage deal for temporary ceasefire would look like," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN.

US, British forces carry out more strikes against Houthis in Yemen

WASHINGTON, Feb 25: US and British forces carried out strikes against more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, officials said, the latest round of military action against the Iran-linked group that continues to attack shipping in the region.

The United States has carried out near daily strikes against the Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and have said their attacks on shipping are in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel strikes Gaza.

The strikes have so far failed to halt the Houthis' attacks, which have upset global trade and raised shipping rates.

A joint statement from countries that either took part in the strikes or provided support, said the military action was against 18 Houthi targets across eight locations in Yemen including underground weapons and missile storage facilities, air defense systems, radars and a helicopter.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes were meant "to further disrupt and degrade the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia."

"We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks, which harm Middle Eastern economies, cause environmental damage and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries," Austin said.

The strikes were supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Al Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by the Houthi movement, said on Saturday that U.S. and UK forces carried out a series of strikes in the capital, Sanaa.

It quoted an unnamed Houthi military source as saying the renewed raids were “a miserable attempt to prevent Yemen from providing support operations to the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Earlier this week the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a UK-owned cargo ship and a drone assault on a U.S. destroyer, and they targeted Israel's port and resort city of Eilat with ballistic missiles and drones.

The group's strikes are disrupting the vital Suez Canal shortcut that accounts for about 12% of global maritime traffic, forcing a longer, more expensive route around Africa.

No ships have been sunk nor crew killed during the Houthi campaign. However there are concerns about the fate of the UK-registered Rubymar cargo vessel, which was struck on Feb. 18 and its crew evacuated. The U.S. military has said the Rubymar was carrying more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it was hit, which could spill into the Red Sea and cause an environmental disaster.

The European Union has launched a naval mission to the Red Sea "to restore and safeguard freedom of navigation".

The United States has a parallel coalition, Operation Prosperity Guardian, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in from attacks by the Houthis.

Houthi attack on cargo ship in Red Sea causes 29km-long oil slick

WASHINGTON, Feb 24: An attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on a Belize-flagged ship earlier this month caused an 18-mile (29-km) oil slick, the US military said Saturday. It also warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel's cargo of fertilizer.

The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel, was attacked on Feb 18 while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, US Central Command said.

The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertiliser, CENTCOM said in a statement.

The vessel suffered significant damage, which led to the slick, said the CENTCOM statement, warning that the ship's cargo “could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster”.

“The Houthis continue to demonstrate disregard for the regional impact of their indiscriminate attacks, threatening the fishing industry, coastal communities, and imports of food supplies,” it said.

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the stricken vessel showed Tuesday that the vessel was leaking oil in the Red Sea.

Yemen's internationally recognised government on Saturday called for other countries and maritime-protection organisations to quickly address the oil slick and avert “a significant environmental disaster".

In a statement, the government, which sits in the southern city of Aden, said the vessel is heading toward the Hanish Islands, a Yemeni archipelago in the southern Red Sea.

The USS Mason, meanwhile, shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile launched Saturday evening from Houthi-held areas in Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden, the US Central Command said.

The missile was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a US-flagged, -owned and-operated chemical and oil tanker, CENTCOM added. No injuries or damage were reported from the warship or the tanker, it said.

Separately, CENTCOM said that it launched attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Friday, destroying seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that were prepared to launch toward the Red Sea.

It described the strikes as “self-defence,” saying that the missiles “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the US Navy ships in the region.”

CENTCOM didn't give further details. Houthi-run media, however, reported strikes by the US and the UK on the district of Durayhimi in the Red Sea province of Hodeida.

The US military has in recent weeks launched waves of strikes on Houthi-held areas inside Yemen in response to the Houthis' attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters. They say they are acting over the Israel-Hamas war. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

The targeted vessels have included at least one with cargo for Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor.

G7 Nations Call On Russia To 'Fully Clarify' How Putin Critic Navalny Died

ROME, Feb 24: Leaders of the G7 nations on Saturday called on Russia to "fully clarify" how Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny came to die in prison last week.

Their statement came hours after a spokesperson for Navalny's team said the Russian authorities had finally handed over his body to his mother following his death in an Arctic prison colony.

"We call on the Russian government to fully clarify the circumstances around his death," said the statement.

"We also pay tribute to the extraordinary courage of Alexei Navalny and stand with his wife, children, and loved ones," it added.

"He sacrificed his life fighting against the Kremlin's corruption and for free and fair elections in Russia."

Israel Back To Negotiating Table; Mossad Head To Lead Team For Hostage Talks In Paris

TEL AVIV, Feb 23: An Israeli team will join talks in Paris for a potential Gaza ceasefire & a hostage deal. Reports say that the Israeli war cabinet unanimously approved sending a team to Paris.

The Israeli delegation will reportedly be headed by Mossad director David Barnea. CIA director bill burns & his Egyptian & Qatari counterparts are also expected in Paris.

Earlier, Netanyahu had refused to send an Israeli delegation to Cairo for hostage talks.

US destroys 4 Houthi drones, 2 cruise missiles in Yemen and Red Sea; rebels target Israel port city

WASHINGTON, Feb 23: US Military on Friday said that it struck down four Houthi drones and two anti-ship cruise missiles in Yemen and the Red Sea. The strike was carried out after determining that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships, said the military's Central Command.

The drones and cruise missiles were set to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards the Red Sea. In addition to this, the military also brought down three Houthi one-way attack drones near commercial ships operating in the Red Sea, it said.

There was no damage to any ships during the strike conducted by the US Military on Thursday and Friday, the Central Command said on Friday. A day ago, the US military had said that it carried out four “self-defence" strikes against the Houthis, by destroying seven anti-ship cruise missiles and a mobile ballistic missile launcher in Yemen.

On Thursday, Houthi rebels launched attacks on both Israel and a ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden, setting the vessel ablaze and again demonstrating their ability to launch assaults despite facing US-led airstrikes targeting their forces.

Amid constant US strikes, a Houthi representative on Thursday said the rebel group is ramping up attacks on ships in the Read Sea and other waters.

The statement from the leader came after the rebels claimed responsibility for an attack on a UK-owned cargo ship and a drone assault on an American destroyer on Thursday, and they targeted Israel's port and resort city of Eilat with ballistic missiles and drones.

"Operations in the Red and Arabian Seas, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden are continuing, escalating, and effective," an agency quoted Abdul Malik al-Houthi as saying in a televised speech.

The past few attacks by the rebels on ships indicate a shift in Houthi's targets from pro-Israel shipments to more random attacks. As a result, they pose a major threat to a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments travelling from Asia and the Middle East onward to Europe.

Since November, the Houthis have been attacking ships travelling in the Red Sea, as a part of their pressure campaign to end Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

After EU, US slaps Russia with 500 new sanctions over Ukraine invasion and Navalny's death

WASHINGTON, Feb 23: US President Joe Biden on Friday announced sanctions on more than 500 targets in Russia on the second anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, vowing sustained pressure to stop President Vladimir Putin's "war machine."

The sanctions, described by the Treasury Department as the largest single tranche since the start of the war, will seek to impose a cost for the death in prison a week ago of Putin's most vocal critic, Alexei Navalny.

Biden said that the more than 500 sanctions, expected to be unveiled later in the day, will target "individuals connected to Navalny's imprisonment as well as Russia's financial sector, defense industrial base, procurement networks and sanctions evaders across multiple continents."

"They will ensure Putin pays an even steeper price for his aggression abroad and repression at home," Biden said in a statement.

"We are also imposing new export restrictions on nearly 100 entities for providing backdoor support for Russia's war machine," he said.

The United States and its allies have imposed a slew of measures against Russia since the start of the war, including blocking financial assets, restricting high-tech exports and setting an official cap on the sale price of Russia's oil exports.

But US military support critical for Ukraine has dried up due to a political impasse in Congress, with Russia recently scoring a key battlefield gain.

And the Russian economy is still expected to grow this year, albeit at a lower scale, as the country adapts and relies on trade with non-Western partners, especially China.

A coalition involving the Group of Seven leading economies, the European Union and Australia earlier announced plans to tighten compliance with the $60 per barrel cap on of Russian crude.

On Friday, the EU announced its own set of measures against around 200 firms and individuals accused of assisting Russia in obtaining weapons or involvement in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, both of which Moscow denies.

They included ten Russian firms and persons involved in the delivery of North Korean weapons to Russia, including North Korea's defense minister.

Since the commencement of the war, the EU has listed almost 2,000 persons.

In response, Russia's foreign ministry announced that it has dramatically increased the list of EU officials and lawmakers barred from entering Russia.

"The European Union is continuing its fruitless attempts to put pressure on Russia through unilateral restrictive measures," the bloc said in a statement.

Biden has declared that he considers Putin responsible for the death of Navalny, 47, who barely survived a 2020 poisoning he blamed on government agents.

On Thursday, Biden said he had met privately in California with Navalny's widow and daughter.

He told reporters after meeting with Yulia and Dasha Navalnaya in San Francisco that Putin's late opponent was "a man of incredible courage."

A number of European governments have summoned Russian diplomats to protest the death of Navalny, and Britain imposed sanctions on six officials at the remote Siberian penal colony where the campaigner died.

The White House has said as well that Washington would soon impose new sanctions on Iran over its backing for Russia's invasion.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists that authorities are prepared to go even further if Iran sells ballistic missiles to Russia.

In announcing the new measures, Biden also made a new plea for Congress to fund new military aid to Ukraine.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring the aid to a vote, with his ally, presidential hopeful Donald Trump, criticizing support for Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces recently withdrew from Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region as they ran short of ammunition, giving Russia its first major gain on the ground since May.

"History is watching. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will not be forgotten," Biden said.

UN reform is a common sense proposition, says Jaishankar at Raisina Dialogue

NEW DELHI, Feb 22: Multilateralism will exist alongside national interests, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, pointing to India’s experience with the fallout of the decision to take the Kashmir dispute to the United Nations (UN) soon after independence.

Jaishankar made the remarks while participating in a session at the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, that focused on the divide between the West and the Global South and the need to reform multilateral bodies such as the UN. He emphasised the need to revamp global bodies, saying they had been unable to find multilateral solutions to all the big issues in recent years.

Responding to a question on whether countries could compromise on values but not on interests, Jaishankar said this wasn’t something new. “Look at our own example. Very literally in our first year of Independence, we put our trust in multilateralism and took the Kashmir aggression issue to the UN and others made it into an accession issue and they did it for geopolitical reasons,” he said.

“It is not that we should be against multilateralism. Multilateralism is a kind of lowest common denominator and anything above that. It will exist side-by-side with national interests, with the calculations and competitions of countries,” he added.

Jaishankar was referring to Pakistan’s response to India’s decision to take the invasion of Kashmir by irregular Pakistani forces shortly after the country’s independence from British rule in 1947.

On the issue of reforming the UN, Jaishankar said the world body was formed with about 50 members and its membership has now grown almost four-fold. “So, it’s a common sense proposition that you can’t continue the same way when you have four times the members,” he said.

“If you look at the last five years, all the big issues...we have not been able to find multilateral solutions. So, the results or lack of results demonstrates the case for reform,” he added.

Jaishankar contended there was a larger global rebalancing that is bigger than the UN, and this was also about how “rules have been gamed”. He said: “The fact is that the world trading rules have been gamed. We have a lot of our challenges today that also emanate from how countries have used that for their benefit at the expense of the international system.”

He also pointed to the crucial role of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, Russia, France, Britain and the US – in the process of reforming the world body. “If you are going to ask five countries, saying would you mind changing the rules, that you would have less power, guess what the answer is going to be. If they are wise, the answer would be something else.”

In an apparent reference to China, he added, “If you take UN Security Council reform, the biggest opposer is not a Western country.”

In response to another question on the impact of India’s historic ties with Russia on contemporary geopolitics, Jaishankar said competition in international relations is a reality.

“It will be everybody’s endeavour to find a middle ground. The reality in many cases is we won’t find a middle ground. We will find some common ground. But the idea that everybody would agree on the most important issues of the day is a bit of a fantasy. The fact is competition is for real,” he told the session that also featured Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, advisor to the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dutch foreign minister Hanke Bruins Slot.

Pakistan's PML-N and PPP strike deal to form coalition government: Bilawal Zardari

ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday that his party had reached an agreement with the largest party in the country's national assembly to form a coalition government.

The agreement between Bhutto Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of three-time Premier Nawaz Sharif ends days of uncertainty and negotiations after the Feb. 8 elections produced a hung national assembly.

Bhutto Zardari confirmed at a late night press conference that former Premier Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Nawaz, will be the coalition's candidate for prime minister, and his father Asif Ali Zardari will be their candidate for the country's president.

26 EU Countries Demand 'Immediate' Halt In Gaza Fighting

BRUSSELS, Feb 19: All EU countries except Hungary joined a call Monday for an "immediate humanitarian pause" in the Gaza war, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

The European Union has struggled for a united response on Israel's military operation following the October 7 attack by Hamas.

But Borrell said foreign ministers from 26 states had agreed a statement calling for "an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire".

The EU countries also reiterated their calls for Israel not to launch an assault on the Gaza city of Rafah, which has become the main shelter zone in the stricken territory.

Hungary is a staunch supporter of Israel and has frequently refused to go along with EU statements seen as critical of the country.

Other EU nations such as Germany have been reluctant until now to call for an "immediate" halt in Israel's operations. It has not wanted to be seen backing any move that could limit Israel's right to defend itself.

The war started when Hamas launched its unprecedented attack of October 7 that left about 1,160 people dead in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to a tally of official Israeli figures.

Over 29,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Israel military operation in Gaza, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory says.

Hamas, considered a "terrorist" group by the United States, EU and other governments, also took about 250 hostages -- 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel.

Israel has warned that, unless Hamas frees all hostages, it will push on with its offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including in Rafah.

US Conducts 5 'Self-Defence' Strikes On Houthi Weapons Systems In Red Sea

WASHINGTON, Feb 18: US forces in the Red Sea have "successfully conducted five self-defence strikes" to foil attacks by land and sea from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the Pentagon said Sunday.

The strikes occurred at 3 pm and 8 pm Sanaa time (1200 and 1700 GMT), the US military said, and are part of a series of actions taken by the United States and its allies against the Houthis, aimed at halting the Iran-backed rebels' repeated attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.

The five strikes included targeting "the first observed Houthi employment of a UUV (unmanned underwater vessel) since attacks began" in October, according to a statement from the US Central Command.

Another of the five involved an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, essentially a floating drone. The use of such vessels has been comparatively rare.

The other three involved anti-ship cruise missiles, the statement said.

"CENTCOM identified the anti-ship cruise missiles, unmanned underwater vessel, and the unmanned surface vessel in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region," it said, adding that it struck the five to "make international waters safer."

The Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen including the port of Hodeida, began their attacks in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.

US and British forces have responded with strikes against the Houthis, who have since declared the two countries' interests to be legitimate targets as well.

The Red Sea attacks have raised insurance premiums for shipping companies, forcing many to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 per cent of global maritime trade.

Alexei Navalny death: Over 400 arrested as Russia cracks down against supporters of Putin critic

MOSCOW, Feb 18: The death of Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny shocked the world and crushed the hopes of many people who saw Russia's future in the leader. The authorities in Russia cracked down on people who gathered to pay tributes to Alexei Navalny and over 400 individuals were arrested from different parts of Russia on Sunday, the OVD-Info rights group said.

Most of the arrests were made from Russia second largest city St. Petersburg.

Alexei Navalny, who was known as the most vociferous critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and survived multiple assassination attempts died on Friday at a remote Arctic penal colony. The prison services said that Alexei Navalny collapsed after a walk and couldn't be saved despite resuscitation attempts by the medics.

His death evoked a strong response from the world as global leaders and activists blamed Vladimir Putin for his death. US President Joe Biden was the first leader to openly claim that Vladimir Putin was behind the death of Alexei Navalny.

While the mainstream media in Russia remained mum about Alexei Navalny's death under questionable circumstances, the people of the country didn't shy away from expressing their opinions on social media platforms like X and Telegram.

"Alexei Navalny's death is the worst thing that could happen to Russia," said one note left among the flowers at a makeshift memorial in Moscow.

The Russian Embassies in multiple countries witnessed protests against the Kremlin, as they blamed the Russian President for Alexei Navalny's death.

The legal team of Alexei Navalny asserted on Saturday that the Russian authorities are withholding his body and were acting as "murderers" attempting to conceal their actions. "It's obvious that the killers want to cover their tracks and are therefore not handing over Alexei's body, hiding it even from his mother," Navalny's team said in a post on Telegram.

"They don't want whatever method they used to kill Alexei to come out," Yarmysh said in an online broadcast, in his backers' strongest accusation yet of foul play.

Ukraine troops withdraw from front-line city of Avdiivka, army chief says

KYIV, Feb 17: Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the front-line city of Avdiivka, the new army chief announced, after months of heavy fighting and little progress in repelling Russian forces in the country’s eastern front.

“I decided to withdraw our units from the town and move to defence from more favourable lines in order to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen,” Oleksandr Syrskii said on Saturday, days after taking the helm of the Ukrainian military in a major shake-up.

The battle for the industrial hub, less than 10km (six miles) north of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, has been one of the bloodiest of the two-year war. Many compare it with the battle for Bakhmut, in which tens of thousands of soldiers were killed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that pulling out troops “was a professional decision that will save many Ukrainian lives”.

“Our actions are limited only by the sufficiency and length of range of our strength,” he added, pointing to the situation in Avdiivka.

Russia has been trying to capture the city since October and has surrounded it on three sides, leaving limited resupply routes for Ukrainian forces.

Avdiivka had about 34,000 inhabitants before the Russian invasion. Most of the city has been since destroyed but an estimated 1,000 residents remain, according to local authorities. Videos on social media showed a town left in rubble.

“In a situation where the enemy is advancing over the corpses of their own soldiers with a 10-to-one shelling advantage, under constant bombardment, this is the only right decision,” said Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the army’s commander of the Avdiivka area.

Before issuing orders to pull out of Avdiivka, Tarnavsky on Friday said several Ukrainian soldiers had been captured by Russian forces.

The city has important symbolic value and Moscow hopes its capture will make Ukraine’s bombing of Donetsk more difficult. The withdrawal comes ahead of Russian presidential elections scheduled for March in which incumbent Vladimir Putin is set to win a fifth term, allowing him to continue leading the invasion of Ukraine.

Avdiivka lies in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, which the Kremlin has claimed to be part of Russia since a 2022 annexation that remains unrecognised by nearly all United Nations members.

At the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Zelenskyy pushed for countries to give Ukraine longer-range weapons and more air defence systems.

“Unfortunately keeping Ukraine in the artificial deficit of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war,” Zelenskyy said in Germany. “The self-weakening of democracy over time undermines our joint results.”

He also promised “to surprise Russia” later this year with new drone systems and electronic warfare.

Zelenskyy on Friday signed security pacts with France and Germany to lock in support for Kyiv. He is also expected to make further pleas for financing and armaments at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

All 27 European Union countries this month agreed on an additional 50-billion-euro ($54bn) aid package for Ukraine.

United States President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Avdiivka risked falling to Russian forces because of ammunition shortages following months of Republican congressional opposition to a new US military aid package for Kyiv.

Jaishankar calls for ‘permanent fix’ to Israel-Palestine conflict

MUNICH, Feb 17: India believes that immediate measures to protect Israel from terror attacks and provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people must be complemented by the “permanent fix” of a two-state solution, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

Jaishankar, who was participating in a discussion with German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock and US secretary of state Antony Blinken at the Munich Security Conference, said countries of the Global South believe that terrorism cannot be justified and that a two-state solution should not be delayed.

He emphasised four key issues regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict – the October 7 attacks were a terrorist act without justification, it is important for Israel to be “very mindful of civilian casualties” in its response as it has an obligation to observe international humanitarian law, the return of hostages taken by Hamas is imperative, and the need for a long-term solution.

“There is a need for a sustainable humanitarian corridor to provide relief and eventually, there has to be a permanent fix, a long-term fix. Otherwise, we are going to see a recurrence,” Jaishankar said.

India has backed a two-state solution for decades, and many countries today feel such a solution is not only necessary but “more urgent than it was before”, he added.

Jaishankar said: “A very large number of countries, especially of the Global South, believe that terrorism shouldn’t be countenanced or justified, but they equally strongly believe that a two-state solution should not be delayed. These are not choices, these are both musts and unless we are able to address both these issues, we are not going to really solve the problem.”

Baerbock said the West has to work with Arab partners to guarantee that there is no repeat of the terror attacks and that Palestinians have the security they need to live in peace.

Blinken endorsed Jaishankar’s position and said it is imperative to proceed towards a Palestinian state that also ensures the security of Israel. While Israel is more secure in terms of coping with immediate threats, it has to make sure the cycle of violence doesn’t repeat itself, he added.

During the discussion with the theme “Growing the pie: Seizing shared opportunities”, Jaishankar was asked by the moderator if India has gone from a policy of non-alignment to “all alignment”, with the example of the country’s decision to continue buying Russian oil after the invasion of Ukraine.

He replied: “Do we have multiple options? The answer is yes. Is that a problem? Why it should be a problem? If I am smart enough to have multiple options, you should be admiring me, you shouldn’t be criticising.”

He added, “I do not want you to, even inadvertently, give the impression that we are purely and unsentimentally transactional. We are not. We get along with people, we believe in things, we share things, we agree on some things but there are times when you are located in different places, have different levels of development, different experiences, all of that gets into it.”

India has participated in a grouping such as Brics (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) because it was created by “significant powers...who felt they were not part of the G7 but maybe they also brought value to the table”, he said. The relevance of Brics was demonstrated by the 30 countries who asked to join the grouping last year, he added.

“I think it’s important today to make a distinction between being non-West and anti-West. I would certainly characterise India as a country which is non-West but which has an extremely strong relationship with Western countries [that is] getting better by the day,” Jaishankar said.

Special forces searching Khan Younis hospital detain over 100 terror suspects, IDF says

TEL AVIV, Feb 17: The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that special forces soldiers have arrested more than 100 terror suspects at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as they continued to carry out searches of the medical center.

The military said that forces from the Maglan and Egoz units have also killed several Hamas operatives on the outskirts of the hospital.

IDF troops entered the Nasser Hospital building on Thursday after surrounding the hospital for a week, saying they had information that hostages had been held there and that some bodies of dead hostages may still be at the site. At least one released hostage has said that she and over two dozen other captives had been held inside the hospital.

The soldiers have found mortars, grenades and other weaponry belonging to Hamas inside the medical facility, as well as medications with the names of hostages on them.

The IDF on Friday denied claims that troops targeted generators at the hospital. Hamas had claimed several patients had died due to a lack of oxygen after power was cut off and the generators stopped following an IDF raid.

“This morning, a report was received concerning the interruption of generator activity, resulting in the failure of electrical systems within the hospital. Contrary to the allegation, IDF troops did not target the generators. The troops were instructed to ensure the continuous functioning of the hospital,” the IDF said.

“Despite the generator malfunction at the hospital, all vital systems continued to operate throughout the day based on the existing Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system in the hospital,” the IDF said.

The IDF said that upon receiving reports of the generator malfunction at the hospital, troops worked to repair it, while the Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit brought in a replacement generator.

“These actions were carried out in close coordination between the IDF and the hospital administration through officers of the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza (CLA),” the IDF said.

The IDF said it also brought food and water to Nasser Hospital, as well as coordinated with international aid organizations to supply fuel for the medical center.

Meanwhile, the IDF continued its campaign throughout different parts of the Gaza Strip with widespread airstrikes and battles between troops and gunmen.

As the fighting continued in Khan Younis, the IDF said Saturday that troops led by the 7th Armored Brigade raided several compounds, finding weapons including explosive devices, grenades and Kalashnikov rifles.

Troops in the area also called in several air strikes on Hamas forces including three terrorists who were trying to launch rockets.

In addition, a paratrooper force killed a terror cell in close-quarters combat, the IDF said.

The IDF also said that there were also clashes in central Gaza where Nahal soldiers killed several operatives.

Meanwhile, rocket warning sirens sounded in the Ashkelon area on Saturday morning, with the IDF saying one rocket fired from northern Gaza was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.

The IDF said within half an hour of the attack, the Hamas terrorist behind the attack was struck and killed.

The rocket had been fired from the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City. Within 30 minutes, the IDF said the Nahal Infantry Brigade and 215th Artillery Regiment identified the operative behind the attack, and called in an airstrike, killing him.

Alexei Navalny, Russian Opposition Leader And Putin Critic, Dies In Prison

MOSCOW, Feb 16: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died Friday at the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year-term, Russia's federal penitentiary service said.

Navalny lost consciousness after going for a walk and could not be revived by medics, the prison service said.

"Navalny felt bad after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called," it said.

"Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established."

Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into his death.

Navalny's press secretary Kira Yarmysh said his team had not been informed of his death.

"Alexei's lawyer is now flying to Kharp," where his prison colony is, she said in a post on social media.

Citing his spokesman, Russian news agencies reported that President Vladimir Putin had been informed of Navalny's death.

Navalny, 47, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, won a huge following with his criticism of corruption in Vladimir Putin's Russia.

His exposes, posted on his YouTube channel racked up millions of views and brought tens of thousands of Russians to the streets, despite Russia's harsh anti-protests laws.

He was jailed in early 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recuperating from a near-fatal poisoning attack with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.

In a string of cases he was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges widely condemned by independent rights groups and in the West as retribution for his opposition to the Kremlin.

Late last year he was moved to a remote Arctic prison colony in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets region in northern Siberia.

The last post on Navalny's Telegram channel, which he managed through his lawyers and team in exile, was a tribute to his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, posted on Valentine's Day.

Putin 'Responsible' For Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny's Death, Says Joe Biden

WASHINGTON, Feb 16: US President Joe Biden on Friday said he was "not surprised" but "outraged" after the reported death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

"He bravely stood up to the corruption, the violence and all the bad things the Putin government was doing," Biden said at the White House of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Putin is responsible for Navalny's death."

The White House was seeking more information about Navalny's death at a Russian penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, where he was dispatched less than two months ago.

The development has put a further chill into already bitter US-Russian relations.

The 47-year-old Navalny had been a leading critic of Putin, and Biden had said after meeting Putin in Geneva in June 2021 that Nalvany's death would risk devastating consequences for Putin.

Biden and Putin remain deeply at odds over Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago, and Biden is urging Republican hardliners in the US Congress to support additional funding to pay for more weaponry for Ukraine's military.

Russia has figured prominently on the campaign trail as Biden seeks reelection in November.

His expected Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, triggered bipartisan outrage last week by saying he would do nothing to defend NATO allies from Russia unless they paid a greater share for the common defenses.

The top Republican in Congress, House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson has not put a Senate bill for new funding for Ukraine up to a vote. After Navalny's death, he said the US and its allies should use "every means available to cut off Putin's ability to fund his unprovoked war in Ukraine and aggression against the Baltic states."

In Munich for a major security conference, Vice President Kamala Harris vowed that the US would never retreat from its NATO alliance obligations put in place after World War Two, contrasting Biden's approach to global engagement with presidential election hopeful Trump's isolationist views.

She also met with Alexei Navalny's wife Yulia on the margins of the conference and "expressed her sorrow and outrage" over reports of her husband's death, a White House official said.

Biden's presidential reelection campaign on Friday released a new minute-long advertisement blasting Trump for abandoning NATO. They planned to target the ad to 2.5 million American voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania who trace their ancestry to the NATO states bordering Russia.

India, Taiwan sign MoU to bring Indian workers to tide over labour shortage

NEW DELHI, Feb 16: India and Taiwan on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on migration and mobility that will open the doors for Indian workers to seek employment in the island, currently facing a shortage of workers in areas such as manufacturing, construction and agriculture.

The MoU was signed during a virtual ceremony by Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav, director general of the India Taipei Association or India’s de facto mission in Taiwan, and Baushuan Ger, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in New Delhi.

The pact will strengthen bilateral labour cooperation and was signed after years of discussions, Taiwan’s labour ministry said in a statement. Taiwan will initially seek Indian workers with good English proficiency on a small scale, and if the results of the MoU are good, the openings will be gradually increased, the statement said.

The two sides will hold follow-up discussions to complete procedures and convene working-level meetings as soon as possible to discuss details such as industries in which Indians can be employed, the number of jobs, source regions in India for migrant workers, qualifications for employment, language skills, and recruitment methods, the statement said.

According to the terms of the MoU, the Taiwanese side will decide the industries and number of Indian migrant workers to be employed. The Indian side will recruit and train workers according to Taiwan’s needs and the employment will be in accordance with laws and regulations of both sides.

Taiwan’s labour ministry will submit the MoU to the Legislative Yuan or the unicameral legislature for review in accordance with a law on concluding treaties. The labour ministry will also hold a working-level meeting with the Indian side to discuss details regarding the implementation of the MoU, the statement said.

India and Taiwan finalised most of the procedures for the mobility and migration agreement by late last year, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. However, there was a hitch as the two sides had to complete certain procedures for medical tests to be done for migrant workers and also align their migration databases, the people said.

Once these hurdles were overcome, the two sides inked the MoU on Friday, the people added.

Taiwan’s labour ministry said once all the preparatory work is completed, India will be announced as a new source country of migrant workers in accordance with the law, and employers will be free to employ workers according to individual needs.

Explaining the reasons for the signing of the MoU, the labour ministry said Taiwan had been affected by an ageing population and low birth rate, which had resulted in the working-age population and grassroots labour force shrinking sharply. The shortage of workers in manufacturing, construction, agriculture and other industries has continued to expand, and the demand for caregivers and migrant workers too is increasing.

The approved source countries for migrant workers in Taiwan are Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. Employers’ associations have been calling on the Taiwan government to address the “risk of restricted source countries for migrant workers”.

A majority of members of the Legislative Yuan have requested that the government should actively develop emerging source countries for migrant workers.

Taiwan’s labour ministry noted that Indian workers are “stable, hard-working and have good reviews”.

Countries such as Germany, Italy, France, states in the Middle East, Singapore and Malaysia are actively seeking or expanding the employment of Indian workers. “Indian workers are mostly engaged in construction, manufacturing, housework and agricultural work overseas, which meets Taiwan’s demand for migrant workers,” the statement said.

Israeli strikes deepen panic in Rafah as UN aid chief warns a ground offensive could result in ‘slaughter’

TEL AVIV, Feb 15: Panic is soaring in Rafah as desperate Palestinians decide whether to flee the last refuge in Gaza as Israel draws up plans for a ground offensive that the United Nations aid chief has warned could lead to “a slaughter.”

A growing number of countries and international organizations are now scrambling to convince Israel to halt its planned offensive, with Ireland’s Taoiseach (or prime minister) Leo Varadkar accusing the country of becoming “blinded by rage.”

The South African government made an “urgent request” to the International Court of Justice Tuesday to determine if Israel’s extended military actions in the southern Gazan city require it to “use its power to prevent further imminent breach of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza.”

Israel has been bombarding Rafah with airstrikes for weeks and says it is committed to a ground offensive as the alternative “is to surrender to Hamas and to sacrifice 134 people,” Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner told CNN Tuesday, referring to the Israelis held hostage in Gaza. “That is not an option from Israel’s perspective,” he said.

It remains unclear how or when a ground offensive would unfold, and that uncertainty is adding to anxiety among Palestinians in Rafah about where to go and what to do.

“We’re lost. We don’t know where to go… We’re tired. We’ve been walking around without knowing where to go,” Mo’men Shbair, a displaced Palestinian in Rafah, told Reuters, adding that he prays the world pressures Israel to end the war and “release us.”

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths warned Tuesday that such an offensive could lead to “a slaughter” and leave humanitarian efforts in Gaza “at death’s door.”

He urged Israel to listen to the international community’s warnings against “the dangerous consequences” of a ground invasion, saying “history will not be kind” if those calls are ignored.

Hezbollah Commander Among 10 Killed In Israeli Strike On Lebanon: Report

BEIRUT, Feb 14: A Hezbollah commander, two other fighters and seven civilians were killed in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh, a security source said Thursday, raising the death count from a raid a day earlier.

The deaths brought to 10 the total number of civilians killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday, the highest such death count since cross-border hostilities began in October, further raising fears of a broader conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Hezbollah commander, Ali al-Debs, had already been targeted and wounded in an Israeli drone strike in the southern Lebanon city of Nabatiyeh on February 8, the security source said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Two other Hezbollah fighters who were on the ground floor with Debs and "seven civilians from the same family" on the building's first floor were also killed in Wednesday's strike on the building in the city, the source added.

Hezbollah announced Thursday that three of its fighters including Debs had been killed, without specifying where they had died. It had said two members were killed on Wednesday.

The Israeli army said Wednesday a soldier was killed in unclaimed rocket fire from Lebanon and that its jets carried out strikes on Lebanon.

The official National News Agency had previously identified five of the dead civilians in Nabatiyeh as Hussein Barjawi, his two daughters, his sister and his grandson. His wife and niece were also killed.

Emergency responders pulled a boy alive from the rubble, it added, while another relative and at least six other people were taken to hospital.

The agency said the Israeli strike was carried out by "a drone with a guided missile".

Modi Inaugurates Temple In UAE

DUBAI, Feb 14: Marking a significant milestone for the Indian community in the Middle East, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Abu Dhabi's first Hindu temple, which is also the largest in the region.

Spread over 27 acres and built at a cost of over ₹ 700 crore, the BAPS Hindu temple is also seen as a sign of the deepening relationship between India and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking after inaugurating the temple Modi said in Hindi, "A golden chapter in human history has been written in UAE today. A grand and holy temple has been inaugurated in Abu Dhabi today. Years of hard work have gone into this temple and a long-cherished dream has come true. Bhagwan Swaminarayan's blessings are also with this temple.”

Referring to the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 the PM said, amid cheers, "A centuries-old dream was fulfilled. All of India and every Indian is still cherishing that feeling. My friend Brahmavihari Swamy was saying, 'Modi ji s the biggest priest'. I don't know if I have the qualifications of a temple priest but I am proud to be a priest of Maa Bharti (Mother India)."

Stating that every moment of his life and every molecule in his body is dedicated to Ma Bharti, the Prime Minister said, "The joy we felt in Ayodhya has been amplified in Abu Dhabi today. It is my honour that I witnessed the consecration of the temple in Ayodhya last month and this temple in Abu Dhabi today."

Continuing his praise for his "brother", UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whom he had hailed as a "friend of the Indian community" at the 'Ahlan Modi' event on Tuesday, the PM said he had played the biggest role in fulfilling the dream of constructing a grand temple in Abu Dhabi.

"He has won the hearts of 140 crore Indians. It is my privilege that I have been a part of this temple from the time it was conceptualised to its inauguration. This is why I know that even 'thank you' is too small a phrase for his generosity and contribution. I want the world to see the depth of the India-UAE relationship," Modi said.

Recalling that he had spoken to Sheikh Al Nahyan about the temple when they had met in 2015, the PM said the UAE president had said yes to the proposal on the spot and made land available in a short time.

"When I came to the UAE again in 2018, I met Sheikh Al Nahyan and showed him the two models of the temple that had been prepared - one that was based on Vedic architecture and another that was a simple model without Hindu religious symbols - his thought was clear: he told me the temple in Abu Dhabi should be built with splendour and glory. He wanted the temple to not only be built but also look like a temple," the Prime Minister said and then asked the audience to give the UAE President a standing ovation.

Sheikh Al Nahyan donated 13.5 acres of land for the construction of the temple in 2015 and Modi had laid the foundation three years later. Construction began in 2019 after an additional 13.5 acres of land was donated earlier that year.

Built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), the temple is located in Abu Mreikhah, near Al Rahba. The consecration ceremony of the idols began at the temple on Wednesday morning.

PM also participated in a 'global aarti (prayer)', which was performed simultaneously at over 1,200 temples built by BAPS. Before inaugurating the temple, he offered water in the virtual Ganga and Yamuna rivers at the temple and met people from different religions who played a role in its construction.

Temple authorities said seven shikhars (spires) have been built at the temple representing the seven emirates that form the UAE.

"The seven spires have idols of deities, including Lord Ram, Lord Shiv, Lord Jagannath, Lord Krishna, Lord Swaminarayan (considered a reincarnation of Lord Krishna), Tirupati Balaji and Lord Ayappa. The seven shikhars represent the seven emirates of UAE," Swami Brahmaviharidas, head of international relations for BAPS, told PTI.

"The seven spires also pay homage to seven important deities, underscoring the interconnectedness of cultures and religions. Normally, our temples are either one spire, three, or five but the seven spires express our gratitude to the unity of the seven emirates. But at the same time, the seven spires enshrine seven important deities... The spirals aim to promote unity and harmony in the multicultural landscape," he said.

Modi's visit to the UAE is his seventh since 2015 and his third in eight months. After the temple inauguration, Modi will leave for Doha and hold a bilateral meeting with the Qatari leadership. Modi's visit to the country comes on the heels of Qatar releasing eight navy veterans from prison, which was seen as a huge diplomatic victory for India.

World Today Needs Clean, Transparent, Tech-Savvy Governments: Modi

DUBAI, Feb 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing at the World Government Summit in Dubai, highlighted the importance of clean and transparent governance as a crucial factor in addressing the challenges faced by governments worldwide.

During his address, Prime Minister Modi also acknowledged the dynamic leadership of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, describing him as a leader with vision and resolve.

"Now the world needs a smart government, which makes technology a government medium, which is transparent and not corrupt," said Modi.

"On the one hand, the world is embracing modernity, on the other hand, the challenges emanating since the last century are on a continuous rise. Be it food security, health security, water security, energy security, education or building an inclusive society, every government is bound by many responsibilities towards its citizens," Modi said.

Modi said his government remained focused on women-led development. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of strengthening social and financial conditions.

The UAE was one of the top four foreign direct investors in India during the fiscal year 2022-23. Bilateral trade between India and the UAE reached an impressive $85 billion during that time, solidifying their positions as crucial trading partners for each other.

This economic collaboration has been further facilitated by agreements such as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed in February 2022 and the Local Currency Settlement (LCS) System established in July 2023.

The Indian community, numbering around 3.5 million in the UAE, forms the largest expatriate group in the country. Their contributions to the socio-economic development of the UAE have played a crucial role in fostering strong people-to-people ties.

Hamas Commander Who Orchestrated October 7 Attack Spotted In Tunnel

TEL AVIV, Feb 14: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released footage on Tuesday, claiming to have identified Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar walking through a Gaza tunnel with his family members.

If confirmed, this marks the first sighting of Sinwar since he went into hiding ahead of Hamas's October 7 onslaught on Israel.

According to the IDF, the one-minute-long clip shows Sinwar in a tunnel beneath the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, accompanied by his wife and three children, led by his brother Ibrahim. Despite his back facing the camera, the IDF claims to have identified Sinwar using artificial intelligence and noting distinctive features, such as the size of the figure's ears.

Sinwar, 61, is a former commander of Hamas's Ezzdine al-Qassam Brigades and was elected in 2017 as the Palestinian group's head. He has spent 23 years in Israeli jails before his release in 2011 in a prisoner exchange involving French-Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was held captive by Hamas.

The video, retrieved from Hamas surveillance footage recently obtained by IDF troops, shows Sinwar appearing healthy and carrying a bag while his daughter holds a doll. The IDF claims that the footage was taken from tunnels that connect to areas where hostages were held, and it was part of a broader network used by senior Hamas officials during the recent conflict.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari in a press conference said, "One video or another is not what really matters. What is important is the intelligence that will allow us to reach senior Hamas officials and the hostages. The hunt for Sinwar will not stop until we catch him, dead or alive."

Hagari also claimed that earlier this month, Israeli troops detained close relatives of senior Hamas military commanders, including Sinwar. Among those detained were the father of Rafa'a Salameh, the commander of Hamas's Rafah Brigade, and the son of Husni Hamdan, another senior Hamas commander.

The IDF conducted raids in the tunnel network seen in the October 10 footage, situated under a cemetery in the Bani Suheila area of Khan Younis. According to Hagari, the tunnels contained bedrooms of senior Hamas officials and the office of the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade's Eastern Battalion, who directed the October 7 attack.

Nawaz Sharif Nominates Brother Shehbaz For Pakistan PM Candidate

ISLAMABAD, Feb 13: In a surprise development, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Tuesday nominated its president Shehbaz Sharif as the prime ministerial candidate of Pakistan instead of the party supremo and three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif.

Taking to X, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, 74, has nominated his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif, 72, a candidate for the slot of prime minister and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, 50, for chief minister of Punjab province.

"Nawaz Sharif has thanked the political parties which provided support to the PML-N (in forming the upcoming government) and expressed hope that through such decisions Pakistan will come out of crises," she said.

The development comes a few hours after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari withdrew from the prime ministerial race, saying his party would support ex-premier Nawaz without being part of the new government.

Despite independent candidates backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party springing a surprise by winning the most seats in Parliament, questions were looming over what the next government of Pakistan will look like five days after the general elections.

None of the three major parties, the PML-N, the PPP, or the PTI have won the necessary seats in the February 8 general elections to secure a majority in the National Assembly and, therefore, will be unable to form government on their own, leading to a hung Parliament.

PML-N reportedly enjoys the backing of the powerful Pakistan Army.

Addressing a press conference here after the meeting of the PPP's high-powered Central Executive Committee (CEC), held under his leadership, Bilawal has said the reality is that his party does not have a mandate to form a federal government.

"Due to this, I will not be putting myself forward for the candidacy of the prime minister of Pakistan," the 35-year-old former foreign minister said, adding that PML-N and the independents have greater numbers in the Centre.

Earlier in the day, former prime minister Shehbaz reaffirmed that Nawaz Sharif will become the prime minister for a record fourth time.

"I had said that Nawaz Sharif would become prime minister for the fourth time. And I maintain today that he is going to be the PM for the fourth time," Shehbaz told a press conference.

Shehbaz said he has spoken to Bilawal and his father Asif Ali Zardari and thanked them for their support to Nawaz Sharif.

"We hope that together we will be able to get Pakistan out of all political and economic crises, Inshallah," he posted on X.

The PML-N and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have also held a meeting on Tuesday on government formation.

Both parties agreed to move forward with mutual cooperation and Shehbaz Sharif thanked the MQM-P, which has 17 lawmakers in Parliament for its support.

Bilawal noted that Imran Khan's PTI had refused to form a coalition with the PPP which left the PML-N as the only party that had invited the PPP to join the government.

Khan on Tuesday dismissed the idea of forming a coalition government with any of the main political parties in Pakistan and termed them as the "biggest money launderers" being brought to power.

The 71-year-old Khan, also the founder of PTI, was speaking with journalists at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Khan and many of his party colleagues are lodged in jail for many months in connection with convictions in multiple cases.

"There can be no alliance with PML-N, PPP, and MQM," he said, adding that he had directed PTI Information Secretary Raouf Hasan to bring together all parties except the three parties.

Khan also warned his political rivals against the "misadventure" of forming a government with "stolen votes".

"To that end, the PPP will be willing to support the case of important votes - a candidate of the PM of Pakistan - and issue to issue basis to ensure that the government is formed and political stability is restored," Bilawal said.

Bilawal said he would like to see his 68-year-old father Asif Ali Zardari become the president once again. Zardari, husband of slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto was the president from 2008 to 2013.

"I am not saying this because he is my father. I am saying this because the country is in a huge crisis at the moment and if anyone has the capacity to douse this fire, it is Asif Ali Zardari," he asserted.

In response to a question, Bilawal said all political forces needed to think about the country and end the politics of division. "They must not just think about themselves [...] this way the enemies of the country would want to benefit from this crisis." "It takes two to tango," he said.

To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced that independent candidates, a majority of them supported by the PTI secured 101 seats, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 75 seats, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) getting 54 seats, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) bagging 17 seats.

Other parties got 17 seats while the result of one constituency was withheld.

Meanwhile, a senior official of Khan's party said it will use the platform of two rightwing religious parties in its bid to form government in the Centre as well as in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

"Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has decided to join Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) to form the government in the Centre and Punjab and Jamaati-e-Islami (JI) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa," PTI Information Secretary Hassan said while addressing a press conference.

Hassan said the PTI was redoubling its efforts to make a government in the Centre and Punjab.

However, it is believed that by joining the two parties, the PTI will not be able to gather enough strength to form either the federal or provincial government in Punjab. PTI can form a government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa even without the support of any other party.

In a setback to PTI, a Pakistani court on Tuesday dismissed more than 30 petitions filed by Khan's party-backed independent candidates who challenged the "sham victory" of top PML-N leaders, including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

The Lahore High Court while dismissing the petitions asked the defeated PTI-backed candidates to move to the Election Commission of Pakistan for the redressal of their grievances.

At least 50 Palestinians killed in Gaza airstrikes during Israeli operation to rescue two hostages

TEL AVIV, Feb 12: The Israeli military rescued two hostages in a dramatic raid under fire from the Gaza Strip early Monday, marking a small but symbolically significant success in its quest to bring home over 100 captives believed to be held by the Hamas militant group.

At least 50 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes that were part of the raid, according to Palestinian hospital officials.

The raid took place in Rafah, the city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip where 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to escape fighting elsewhere in the Israel-Hamas war.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the hostages had been held in a second-floor apartment in Rafah, under guard from Hamas gunmen, both in the apartment and nearby buildings.

Hagari said special forces broke into the apartment under fire at 1:49 a.m. Monday, accompanied a minute later by a series of airstrikes on surrounding areas. He said members of the rescue team shielded the hostages with their bodies as a heavy battle erupted in several places at once with many Hamas gunmen.

The hostages were taken to a nearby “safe area” and given a quick medical check before being flown to a hospital in central Israel.

Women and children were among those killed in the Israeli strikes, according to Dr. Marwan al-Hams, director of the Abu Youssef al-Najjar hospital, and dozens were wounded.

Israel has described Rafah as the last remaining Hamas stronghold in Gaza after more than four months of war and signaled that its ground offensive may soon target the densely populated city. On Sunday, the White House said President Joe Biden had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should not conduct a military operation against Hamas in Rafah without a “credible and executable” plan to protect civilians.

The army identified the rescued hostages as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who it said were kidnapped by Hamas militants from Kibbutz Nir Yizhak in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack that triggered the war.

Both were airlifted to Sheba Hospital and were reported to be in good medical condition. They are just the second and third hostages to be rescued safely. A female soldier was rescued in November.

Hagari said the operation was based on precise intelligence and been planned for some time, but that rescuers were waiting for the right moment to act. Netanyahu joined Israel’s military chief and other top officials as the raid unfolded.

Pakistan election results: PML-N in alliance talks with PPP, MQM-P; Nawaz Sharif could be PM

ISLAMABAD, Feb 12: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders began discussing the terms of an alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan to carve out a formula for the formation of a government, The Express Tribune reported.

The PML-N would take the post of prime minister, and the posts of the president and National Assembly speaker will be set aside for its partners if an alliance is agreed upon.

The release of results commenced nearly 12 hours after the conclusion of polling for both national and provincial assemblies on Thursday. The electoral process was overshadowed by instances of violence perpetrated by armed factions and Pakistan faced significant backlash due to the controversial suspension of mobile phone services, leading to accusations of “political engineering”.

Analysts suggest that the military favours three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif over Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan to assume power. However, Khan loyalists, running as independents, defied expectations by thriving and winning the most seats. Leaders from Khan's party hailed it as a triumph for democracy, signalling the people's demand for change.

Here are the top updates of the Pakistan elections:

The final official results indicated that independent candidates supported by PTI secured victory in 97 seats, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged victorious in 76 constituencies. Additionally, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) secured 54 seats, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) garnered 17 seats.

According to a report in Dawn, Imran Khan's PTI alleges that the results of at least 18 National Assembly seats were "incorrectly altered" by election officers.

On Sunday, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PPP president Asif Ali Zardari convened a meeting with PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif. The two parties have tentatively agreed to "prevent political instability in the country".

The PML-N gained the backing of the initial independent candidate supported by Imran Khan's party on Sunday, bolstering its parliamentary influence. Wasim Qadir, previously supported by the PTI and victorious over PML-N's Sheikh Rohail Asghar in Lahore’s National Assembly-121 constituency, affiliated with the PML-N following discussions with Maryam Nawaz, daughter of party leader Nawaz Sharif, at her residence.

Qatar frees eight ex-Indian navy officers previously on death row

DOHA, Feb 12: A Qatari court has released eight former Indian naval officers previously on death row for unspecified charges.

Seven of the men have already returned to India, Delhi's foreign ministry said on Monday.

In January, authorities said their death penalty had been converted into prison sentences of "varying" lengths.

Neither Qatar nor India revealed the charges against the men, who were working for Dahra Global, a private firm in Qatar.

But Financial Times and Reuters have reported that the men were charged with spying for Israel.

"We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals," Delhi's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The arrest of the men had made front-page headlines in India in 2022.

India said in October last year that it was "deeply shocked" after the Court of First Instance in Qatar sentenced the men to death.

The Indian foreign ministry subsequently filed an appeal against the sentence.

India and Qatar are close allies. Delhi recently signed a $78bn (£62bn) deal to import liquefied natural gas from Doha until the end of 2048.

The conviction of the men briefly disturbed ties between the two countries but experts say sustained diplomatic efforts have resulted in the release of the men.

In December, India's foreign ministry said its ambassador to Qatar had met the men in prison.

Later that month, the ministry said the Court of Appeal in Qatar had commuted their death sentences.

In January, a ministry spokesperson confirmed the death penalty had been converted into varying prison sentences but did not reveal the quantum of the jail terms.

‘We’re going to do it’: Israeli PM set on invasion of Rafah

TEL AVIV, Feb 11: Israel is determined to advance with its unspecified plans to invade the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where millions of displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his intention to extend the military operation in an interview broadcast late on Saturday. “We’re going to do it,” he declared and said that the plans are being worked on.

The statement comes despite international alarm over the potential for carnage. An estimated 1.4 million Palestinians are crammed into Rafah, and hemmed in by the border with Egypt, after being ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate their homes elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

The United States, Israel’s main backer, has warned against the plan to expand the ground assault into the city, which has for months been subject to almost daily aerial bombardments.

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed in overnight strikes on Rafah, according to journalists on the ground, as the Israeli army has been ramping up its attacks this week. Over 28,000 Palestinians have now been killed since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7.

Netanyahu said in the interview with US outlet ABC News that he agrees with Washington that civilians need to be evacuated from Rafah before any ground invasion.

“We’re going to do it while providing safe passage for the civilian population so they can leave,” he said, according to published extracts of the interview.

However, it’ is unclear where such a large number of people, who are pressed up against the border with Egypt and sheltering in makeshift tents, can go.

When asked, Netanyahu would only say they are “working out a detailed plan”.

“The areas that we’ve cleared north of Rafah are – there are plenty of areas there,” he said.

“Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah, are basically saying ‘lose the war, keep Hamas there’,” he said.

Pakistan Vote Count Ends, Imran Khan's Supporters Clash With Forces

ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: Police fired tear gas to disperse supporters of jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan Sunday after his party urged protests outside election offices where they said rigging had taken place in last week's national vote.

Clashes were reported in Rawalpindi city, south of the capital, and Lahore, in the east, while dozens of other protests were held across the country without incident.

Police warned earlier they would come down hard on illegal gatherings. There were no immediate reports of injuries from the protests.

Independent candidates -- most linked to Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party -- took the most seats in the polls, scuppering the chances of the army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to win a ruling majority.

However, independents cannot form a government and the country faces weeks of political uncertainty as rival parties negotiate possible coalitions.

PTI leaders claim they would have won even more seats if not for vote rigging.

A nationwide election-day mobile telephone blackout and the slow counting of results led to suspicions the military establishment was influencing the process to ensure success for former premier Nawaz Sharif's PML-N.

"Throughout Pakistan, elections were manipulated in a subtle way," PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan told a news conference Saturday, calling on supporters to "protest peacefully" on Sunday.

Authorities warned they would take strict action, saying so-called Section 144 orders were in place -- a colonial-era law banning public gatherings.

"Some individuals are inciting illegal gatherings around the Election Commission and other government offices," a statement from Islamabad's police force said on Sunday.

"Legal action will be taken against unlawful assemblies. It should be noted that soliciting for gatherings is also a crime," it said.

A similar warning was also issued in Rawalpindi, while dozens of police equipped with riot gear assembled near Liberty Market in Lahore.

In Rawalpindi, AFP staff saw police fire tear gas at a crowd of dozens of PTI supporters after they refused orders to stop picketing an office used to collect constituency election results.

Another gathering of around 200 PTI supporters in Lahore dispersed quickly when police moved in with riot shields and batons.

Local media said several people were detained in Karachi, in the south, when they refused orders to clear the area.

Imran Khan's party defied a months-long crackdown, which crippled campaigning and forced candidates to run as independents, to emerge as the winners of Thursday's vote.

Final results were announced Sunday, with independents winning 101 seats, PML-N 75, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) 54, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) 17.

Ten minor parties mopped up the remaining 17 seats, with two remaining vacant.

"The results have clearly indicated that no single party possesses a simple majority to establish a government," said Zahid Hussain, a political analyst and author.

"The political future of the country from this point onward is highly uncertain."

Still, PTI leaders insist they have been given a "people's mandate" to form the next government.

"The people have decided in favour of Imran Khan," party chairman Gohar Ali Khan told Arab News in an interview.

A coalition between the PML-N and the PPP -- who formed the last government after ousting Imran Khan with a no-confidence vote in April 2022 -- still seems the most likely outcome.

Pakistan's military chief told feuding politicians on Saturday to show "maturity and unity".

"The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarisation which does not suit a progressive country of 250 million people," General Syed Asim Munir said in a statement.

The military looms large over Pakistan's political landscape, with generals having run the country for nearly half its history since partition from India in 1947.

The military-backed PML-N, founded by three-time prime minister Sharif, declared victory as the party with the largest number of seats, but to form a government he will be forced to cut deals with rivals and independents.

Imran Khan was barred from contesting the election after being handed several lengthy prison sentences in the days leading up to the vote.

He was convicted this month of treason, graft and having an un-Islamic marriage in three separate trials among nearly 200 cases brought against him since he was ousted.

Israeli strikes kill 44 Palestinians in Rafah, Netanyahu warns of ground invasion

TEL AVIV, Feb 10: Israeli airstrikes killed at least 44 Palestinians — including more than a dozen children — in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Saturday, hours after Israel's prime minister said he had asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people there ahead of a ground invasion.

Benjamin Netanyahu did not provide details or a timeline, but the announcement set off panic and warnings from diplomats. More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are packed into Rafah, many after following Israeli evacuation orders that now cover two-thirds of the territory. It's not clear where they could run next.

Israel says that Rafah, which borders Egypt, is the last remaining stronghold for the Hamas militant group in Gaza after more than four months of war sparked by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said any Israeli ground offensive on Rafah would have “disastrous consequences,” and asserted that Israel aims to eventually force the Palestinians out of their land.

Another mediator, Qatar, warned of disaster if Israel carries out a Rafah offensive, and Saudi Arabia warned of “very serious repercussions." There is even increasing friction between Netanyahu and the United States, whose officials have said a Rafah invasion with no plan for the civilian population would lead to disaster.

Israel has carried out airstrikes in Rafah almost daily, even after telling civilians in recent weeks to seek shelter there from the current ground combat in Khan Younis just to the north.

Overnight into Saturday, three airstrikes on homes in the Rafah area killed 28 people, according to a health official and Associated Press journalists who saw the bodies arriving at hospitals. Each strike killed multiple members of three families, including a total of 10 children, the youngest 3 months old.

Fadel al-Ghannam said one strike tore the bodies of his loved ones to shreds. He lost his son, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren.

He fears even worse with a ground invasion of Rafah, and said the world's silence has enabled Israel to proceed. “To this day, the world has not been fair to us,” he said.

Later Saturday, an Israeli airstrike on a home in Rafah killed at least 11 people, including three children, according to Ahmed al-Soufi, head of Rafah municipality. The dead were taken to Abu Youssef al-Najjar hospital.

“This is what Netanyahu targets — the civilians,” said a neighbor, Samir Abu Loulya.

Two other strikes killed two policemen and three senior officers in the civil police, according to city officials.

In Khan Younis, Israeli forces opened fire at Nasser Hospital, the area’s largest, killing at least two people and wounding five, according to the medical charity Doctors Without Borders.

Israeli tanks reached the hospital gates Saturday morning, Ahmed Maghrabi, a physician at the hospital, said in a Facebook post.

Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said hospital staff are no longer able to move between buildings because of the intense fire. He said 300 medical personnel, 450 patients and 10,000 displaced people are sheltering there.

The Israeli military said troops were not currently operating inside the hospital and called the surrounding area “an active combat zone.”

Roughly 80% of Gaza’s people have been displaced, and the territory has plunged into a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food and medical services.

Pakistan Elections: Parties step up efforts to form govt after split verdict

ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: Pakistan’s three main political parties stepped up efforts on Saturday to form a government after a split mandate in the general election saw independent candidates backed mainly by former premier Imran Khan’s party winning more seats than the PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

Results continued to trickle in two days after the close of balloting on Thursday, with independent candidates bagging almost 100 of the 253 constituencies for which results were declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan. At least 90 of these candidates are backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of Khan, who is in jail after his conviction in three separate cases.

Three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N party won 71 seats in the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament, while the PPP led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari secured 54 seats.

Leaders of both PML-N and PTI claimed victory and said efforts were underway to form the next government. In an apparent reference to the military, PTI chairman Gohar Khan, who is also the former premier’s lawyer, called on “all institutions” in Pakistan to respect his party’s mandate.

“We have no quarrel with anyone, we want to move forward. We will proceed and form a government in accordance with the Constitution and the law,” Gohar Khan told a news conference in Islamabad. “No obstacles should be created for the PTI and results should be announced as soon as possible.”

PTI leaders said an announcement will soon be made about which party the independent candidates will join so that a government can be formed. Independent candidates cannot form a government on their own, and joining another party will also ensure that the PTI can get a portion of the 76 reserved seats in the 342-member National Assembly that are distributed according to a party’s vote share.

Hours after Sharif called on other parties on Friday to join hands with the PML-N to form a government, his brother, former premier Shehbaz Sharif, met Bhutto-Zardari and his father, former president Asif Ali Zardari, in Lahore for consultations on forming a coalition, according to media reports.

Shehbaz Sharif and Zardari agreed to form a government at the centre and in Punjab province and the PML-N and the PPP will finalise all matters related to a power-sharing formula and the distribution of portfolios through mutual consultations, Geo News channel quoted its sources as saying. The Dawn newspaper cited its sources as saying that the meeting was brief but “ended on a positive note”.

However, Bhutto-Zardari told Geo News on Saturday that the PPP “has not had any official conversation” with the PML-N, the PTI or other political parties on forming a coalition.

With none of the three parties close to even a simple majority in Parliament, analysts agreed that the next government would be a coalition in which the PTI-backed independent candidates could play a crucial role.

People familiar with the matter said the PTI was looking at the possibility of getting the independents to join the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan (MWM). On the other hand, they said, the PML-N and the PPP could seek to woo some of the independents to their camp with inducements such as a position in the government. The independent candidates have three days to join a party after being elected.

The powerful Pakistan Army, which has faced considerable criticism for its perceived role in shutting the PTI out of the election process, on Saturday called for a “unified government of all democratic forces”. While PTI leaders were detained, harassed and barred from holding rallies, the party was barred from the polls by the Election Commission for not complying with electoral laws on holding internal elections.

Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir, in a statement issued by the military’s media arm, appeared to throw his weight behind a coalition government. He said: “Pakistan’s diverse polity and pluralism will be well-represented by a unified government of all democratic forces imbibed with national purpose.”

Pakistan, he said, needs “stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarisation”, and elections are “not a zero-sum competition of winning and losing”. Munir added: “Political leadership and their workers should rise above self-interests and synergise efforts in governing and serving the people which is perhaps the only way to make democracy functional and purposeful.”

Noting that the people had “reposed their combined trust in the Constitution”, Munir said it is “incumbent upon all political parties to reciprocate the same with political maturity and unity”.

Meanwhile, Australia, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU) have expressed concerns about the fairness of Pakistan’s election process.

Australia’s foreign ministry said in a statement it was “regrettable” that the Pakistani people “were restricted in their choice, since not all political parties were allowed to contest these elections”. In a post on X, UK foreign secretary David Cameron said: “We recognise serious concerns over the fairness and lack of inclusivity of Pakistan’s elections.”

US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement: “We join credible international and local election observers in their assessment that these elections included undue restrictions on freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.” The US, he said, is concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process and claims of “interference or fraud should be fully investigated”.

The EU too sought a “timely and full investigation” by Pakistani authorities of all reported election irregularities. The 27-nation bloc expressed regret at the “lack of a level playing field due to the inability of some political actors to contest the elections” and allegations of severe interference in the electoral process. The EU also called on all political actors in Pakistan to “engage in a peaceful and inclusive dialogue aiming at the formation of a stable government”.

Responding to this criticism, Pakistan’s foreign ministry expressed surprise at the “negative tone of some of these statements”, which didn’t account for the complexity of the electoral process or acknowledge the free exercise of the right to vote by tens of millions of Pakistanis.

Pakistan Elections 2024: Nawaz Sharif claims victory ‘without majority’

ISLAMABAD, Feb 9: Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif claimed victory in national elections saying that his party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the largest in the results.

The PML-N supremo said that Pakistan needs to take active steps to come out of its current crisis for which all institutions should together play a positive role, without disclosing how many seats his party had won as counting was still underway in 265 seats that went to the polls.

Nawaz Sharif said that his deputies will meet other political parties to talk about forming a coalition government.

“We don’t have enough of a majority to form a government without the support of others and we invite allies to join the coalition so we can make joint efforts to pull Pakistan out of its problems,” he said.

This comes after his party's senior leader said that they will seek talks with rival Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s group on forming a coalition in Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif's close aide Ishaq Dar made the comments on local television channel Samaa TV.

PML-N is “in a position” to form a government and will win close to 90 out of the 265 seats up for grabs, he said.

US drone strike kills commander of Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Feb 8: Senior commander Abu Baqir al-Saadi of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq that the Pentagon linked to an attack that killed three US troops, died in a drone strike on a vehicle in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday night, two security sources said.

One of the sources said three people were killed and that the vehicle targeted was used by Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a state security agency composed of dozens of armed groups, many of them close to Iran.

Kataib Hezbollah fighters and commanders are part of the PMF. Three US troops were killed in January in a drone attack near the Jordan-Syria border that the Pentagon said bore the "footprints" of Kataib Hezbollah. The group then announced it was suspending military operations against US troops in the region.

Iraq and Syria have witnessed near-daily tit-for-tat attacks between hardline Iran-backed armed groups and U.S. forces stationed in the region since the Gaza war began in October.

US officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday's strike.

The US struck Iran-backed Iraqi groups in Iraq and Syria last weekend in what it said was just the beginning of its response to the killing of three US soldiers in a drone attack.

In January, a US drone strike killed a senior militia commander in central Baghdad, an attack Washington said came in response to drone and rocket attacks on its forces.

On Wednesday, Iraqi special forces were on high alert in Baghdad and further units were deployed inside the Green Zone housing international diplomatic missions including the US embassy, a security source said.

Netanyahu rejects ceasefire proposal, renews pledge to destroy Hamas

TEL AVIV, Feb 7: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday total victory in Gaza was within reach, rejecting the latest offer from Hamas for a ceasefire to ensure the return of hostages still held in the besieged enclave.

Netanyahu renewed a pledge to destroy the Palestinian Islamist movement, saying there was no alternative for Israel but to bring about the collapse of Hamas.

"The day after is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas," he told a press conference, insisting that total victory against Hamas was the only solution to the Gaza war.

Hamas had proposed a Gaza ceasefire of four-and-a-half months, during which all hostages would go free, Israel would withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip and an agreement would be reached on an end to the war.

The Hamas offer, the contents of which were first reported by an agency, is a response to an earlier proposal drawn up by U.S. and Israeli spy chiefs and delivered to Hamas last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the offer with Netanyahu after arriving in Israel following talks with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt, the countries that have acted as mediators. Blinken later met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

Israel began its military offensive after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Gaza's health ministry says at least 27,585 Palestinians have been confirmed killed, with thousands more feared buried under rubble. There has been only one truce so far, lasting just a week at the end of November.

Israel has previously said it would not pull its troops out of Gaza or end the war until Hamas was wiped out.

But sources described Hamas as taking a new approach to its longstanding demand to end the war, now proposing this as an issue to be resolved in future talks rather than a condition for the truce.

A source close to the negotiations said the Hamas counterproposal did not require a guarantee of a permanent ceasefire at the outset but that an end to the war would have to be agreed before final hostages were freed.

Pakistan rocked by deadly blasts day before general elections, over 25 killed

ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: Two bombs exploded at the election office of an independent candidate in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Wednesday, just a day before parliamentary elections are set to take place.

According to officials of the provincial government, the blasts have resulted in at least 26 deaths and over two dozen injuries.

The gas-rich province, bordering Afghanistan and Iran, has been dealing with insurgency by Baluch nationalists for over two decades, initially driven by resource-sharing demands and later evolving into a quest for independence.

Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups also maintain a significant presence in the region.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The first attack, resulting in 14 casualties, occurred at the office of an independent election candidate in Pishin district. Subsequently, another explosion in Qilla Saifullah, near the Afghan border, targeted an office of Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), a religious party frequently subjected to militant attacks, leading to at least 10 fatalities, according to the province's officials.

Israel Claims Hostage Tunnel Found In South Gaza City

JERUSALEM, Feb 7: Israel's military on Wednesday said it had discovered and destroyed a tunnel used by senior Hamas leaders and to hold hostages in southern Gaza's main city of Khan Yunis.

Special forces unearthed what they said was a "strategic underground tunnel" stretching more than one kilometre (just over half a mile) in a "targeted raid".

The city -- home to Hamas's Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar -- has been the focus of intense bombardment in recent weeks, as Israel seeks to hunt down the masterminds of the deadly October 7 attack.

Images circulated by the army showed what it said was a "hostage holding cell", with tiled walls and steel bars from floor to ceiling.

"This tunnel held approximately 12 hostages at different times; three of them have been returned to Israel, and the rest are still being held in Gaza," a statement read.

The army did not offer details of which hostages were held there.

The tunnel, built "under the heart of a civilian area", also included a bathroom, kitchen and a rest area for captors, and was part of an "intricate and interconnected underground labyrinth", it added.

It was used "to hide high-ranking members of the Hamas terrorist organisation and to hold hostages" and was linked to another recently discovered tunnel where other captives were held, it said.

Special forces were seen in an army video entering a small outer entrance in an apparent crater surrounded by debris and mangled concrete and near an apartment complex, it added.

The military also showed off hand grenades and rocket propelled grenades that it said it had found and disabled.

US Declares Taiwan’s F-16 Viper Program Is Ready To 'Wipe-Off' Enemies; 139 Jets Upgraded To Block 70-72 Standards

NEW YORK, Feb 7: On February 5, the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced the successful completion of the US$4.5-billion “Peace Phoenix Rising” initiative, aimed at upgrading 139 of Taiwan’s F-16s to the F-16V (Block 70-72) configuration.

The upgrade initiative is part of Taiwan’s broader strategy to modernize its defense capabilities and ensure its ability to defend against any Chinese threat.

Throughout the program, Taiwan’s F-16 fleet underwent comprehensive upgrades, including the installation of advanced radar systems, targeting pods, communication systems, and precision navigation capabilities, according to the Air & Space Forces Magazine.

This comprehensive upgrade effort, which commenced in 2016 and saw its first completed aircraft delivery in late 2018, represents the most extensive F-16 Foreign Military Sales retrofit program since the aircraft’s introduction into the US Air Force in 1979.

The final F-16V upgraded aircraft was delivered in December after undergoing comprehensive checks. In November 2021, the Taiwanese Air Force commissioned its first operational wing of F-16Vs. Taiwanese Air Force is formally known as the Republic of China Air Force.

Initially planned for 144 aircraft, the program encountered setbacks due to attrition losses incurred since its initiation. These losses, resulting from various factors such as accidents, mechanical failures, and other operational necessities, necessitated adjustments to the program’s original scope.

Following the successful completion of the upgrade program, the next phase involves the delivery of 66 new-build F-16s in a comparable configuration, expected to be completed within the next two to three years.

Nonetheless, the program’s culmination is poised to significantly augment the capabilities of the island nation’s Air Force.

Termed a “massive upgrade” by AFLCMC, the enhancements include the integration of Northrop Grumman’s AN/APG-83 Active Electronically-Scanned Array radar, the Sniper targeting pod, and the Link 16 communication system.

The program included a helmet-mounted cueing system, precision GPS navigation, advanced weapon capabilities, an upgraded modular mission computer, an ethernet high-speed data network, a new center cockpit pedestal display, and reinforced landing gear.

Nathan Frock, AFLCMC’s acting security assistance program manager for the Taiwan F-16 retrofit program, highlighted additional structural upgrades to the wings, fuselage, and landing gear, enhancing the aircraft’s capabilities and sustainability and allowing for heavier take-offs and increased landing weight.

AFLCMC also announces the commencement of Peace Phoenix Rising Modernization II, focusing on augmenting capabilities such as integrating the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM), implementing an automatic ground collision avoidance system, incorporating the MS-110 multispectral reconnaissance pod, and integrating the AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW).

Over the past three years, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reports an influx of over 4,000 fighter jets, drones, and assorted aircraft from China encroaching into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.

Responding to each incursion, Taiwan has consistently deployed its aircraft, particularly its F-16 fleet, increasing operational strain and potential for wear and tear. The comparatively limited number of aircraft at Taiwan’s disposal underscores the urgency for upgrades to mitigate the risks of accidents.

Consequently, the initiative’s conclusion represents a pivotal measure in sustaining the capabilities of the Taiwanese Air Force.

The enhancement equips Taiwan’s F-16 fleet with capabilities matching or surpassing most US Air Force F-16s, serving as a deterrent against potential military aggression from the People’s Republic of China.

Expressing satisfaction with completing the Peace Phoenix Rising modification project, Col. Eddie Wagner, AFLCMC’s F-16 FMS Senior Materiel Leader, commended the collaborative efforts in overcoming various challenges, notably the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, in August 2023, Taiwan secured approval for US$500 million for infrared search and track systems for its F-16s, essential for detecting low radar cross-section aircraft like China’s J-20, as reported by the EurAsian Times.

However, the procurement of 66 new F-16Vs, sanctioned by Congress in 2019 for $8 billion, faced delays, with deliveries pushed back to 2024 due to developmental challenges in software development.

Efforts are underway to expedite the transfer of these new F-16Vs to Taipei, with expectations for the first delivery in the third quarter of 2024.

A notable improvement in the new F-16Vs is the extended service life from 8,000 to 12,000 hours, offering enhanced longevity compared to earlier variants.

Despite setbacks, measures are being taken to bolster Taiwan’s air defense capabilities amidst escalating tensions and increased military activities in the region.

Israel and Hamas closer to ceasefire deal

DOHA, Feb 2: Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer towards a deal for a ceasefire and a release of some of the hostages still being held by the militant group in Gaza, while the UN children’s agency has warned that 17,000 children have been left without families or been separated from them by the conflict.

Qatar, which has been mediating between Israel and Hamas, indicated that the militant group had given its initial support for a deal after weeks of delicate and secretive negotiations.

However, while an aide to Hamas’s political leader said the group had received details of the proposed deal, it had yet to reply.

A Qatari official later clarified that there was “no deal yet” and that although “Hamas has received the proposal positively”, Qatar was “waiting for their response”.

Taher al-Nono, an adviser to the Qatar-based Hamas politburo chief, Ismail Haniyeh, said: “We cannot say the current stage of negotiation is zero and at the same time we cannot say that we have reached an agreement.”

Haniyeh was expected to travel to Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials on the issue of a ceasefire.

The latest movement on the talks came as an Israeli minister, Amichai Chikli, compared the UK’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, to Neville Chamberlain and accused him of “appeasement” for suggesting again that the UK could recognise Palestinian statehood after a Gaza ceasefire and before a final-status agreement.

The reported outline of the proposal envisages a lengthy ceasefire of about six weeks in which Palestinians in Gaza would be allowed to move around the strip freely, while hostages would be released in three phases in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel.

According to reports in the Hebrew media and elsewhere, women, children and sick and elderly prisoners being held by Hamas would be released first, then female soldiers in the second phase, which would also result in an increase in humanitarian aid being allowed into Gaza by Israel.

In the final, most sensitive phase, male soldiers and the bodies of dead hostages would be released.

Despite tentative optimism among US officials that the two sides might be edging closer to an agreement, any deal faces considerable obstacles from both. Hamas is understood to be asking for up to 150 Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for each hostage as well as eyeing the release of senior figures, such as Marwan Barghouti.

Later a Hamas official in Beirut, Osama Hamdan, also reiterated that any deal short of a permanent ceasefire was likely to be rejected.

Israeli ministers have been quick to voice opposition to the length of the proposed ceasefire, arguing that it would make it more difficult for Israel to return to offensive operations against Hamas. According to a report on Israel’s Channel N12, ministers at a cabinet meeting on Thursday night opposed a ceasefire of longer than a month.

Amid mounting international concern about the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than half of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced south to Rafah on the Egyptian border, Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, suggested on Thursday that Rafah itself could be the next target of operations.

“The Khan Younis Brigade of the Hamas organisation is dismantled; we complete the mission and will continue to Rafah,” Gallant said in a message posted on social media.

With hundreds of thousands of people crammed into the city, many living in tents in unsanitary conditions and with little access to aid or medical care, on Friday the UN’s humanitarian office described Rafah as a “pressure cooker of despair”.

“I want to emphasise our deep concern about the escalation of hostilities in Khan Younis, which has resulted in an increase in the number of internally displaced people seeking refuge in Rafah in recent days,” said Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “Rafah is a pressure cooker of despair, and we fear for what comes next.”

Gaza residents have said Israeli forces have pounded areas around hospitals in Khan Younis and stepped up attacks close to Rafah.

Israel plans ground attack on Rafah, ‘last refuge’ for Gaza’s displaced

TEL AVIV, Feb 2: The Israeli military plans to expand its ground assault into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where most Palestinians in the besieged enclave have been forced to seek shelter amid heavy bombardment of the rest of the enclave.

This has spread fear among the displaced and concerns from global aid organisations as the last place designated as a “safe zone” by the Israeli army in Gaza comes under threat while Israel continues to hamper the flow of aid.

“The Khan Younis Brigade of the Hamas organisation is disbanded, we will complete the mission there and continue to Rafah,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a post on the social media platform X late on Thursday. “We will continue until the end, there is no other way.”

About 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are crammed into Rafah near the border with Egypt, staying in residential buildings or sleeping in the streets without protection or basic infrastructure.

Israel 'Triggers' Iran; 'Eliminates' Its Fighters Including IRGC Adviser In Syria

DAMASCUS, Feb 2: Israel reportedly carried out airstrikes near Syria's capital city of Damascus. The development was reported by Syria’s state-run SANA, citing a military source.

The report says, an Israeli aircraft launched missiles from Golan heights towards southern Damascus. Meanwhile, three pro-Iranian fighters were killed in Israeli attacks, as per war monitor.

North Korea fires cruise missiles amid tensions with Japan and South Korea

SEOUL, Feb 2: North Korea test-fired cruise missiles into the sea on Friday. It was the North’s fourth round of cruise missile tests in 2024. The tests happened hours after its leader Kim Jong Un inspected unspecified naval projects at a shipyard in Nampho, on the west coast, reported a news agency.

South Korea’s military said it detected multiple missiles but it did not immediately provide a specific number or an assessment of their flight characteristics. Its Joint Chiefs of Staff said the US and South Korean militaries were analysing the North Korean missile launches into its western sea.

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The launches have come amid tensions with South Korea, Japan and the US. In recent months, Kim has highlighted the North's efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) paraphrased Kim as saying that the strengthening of his naval force “presents itself as the most important issue in reliably defending the maritime sovereignty of the country and stepping up the war preparations.” KCNA did not specify the types of warships being built in Nampho, but said they were related to a five-year military development plan set during a ruling party congress in early 2021.In the 2021 meetings, Kim revealed an extensive wish list of advanced military assets, which included nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear missiles that can be launched from underwater.

During his inspections in Nampho, Kim checked the progress of his naval projects and remaining technological challenges. He ordered officials and workers to “unconditionally” complete the efforts within the timeframe of the plan that runs through 2025.

“By making military threats routine, North Korea is trying to create a sense of insecurity among South Korean people to undermine trust in their government and to attract international attention to build an atmosphere in which its demands must be accepted to resolve the crisis on the Korean Peninsula,” said Kim Inae, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry.

Indian Navy thrawts yet another piracy attempt; rescues Pak, Iranian crew

NEW DELHI, Feb 2: The Indian Navy foiled yet another piracy attempt near East of Somalia, and has rescued Iranian and Pakistani nationals from captivity, the Defence spokesperson said on Friday.

Information regarding piracy attempts on the fishing vessel FV Omari was monitored on January 31, the Navy said and accordingly, its drone, undertaking surveillance in the area, successfully located FV Omari and INS Sharda, deployed for an anti-piracy mission in the region, was diverted to intercept the boat.

Seven pirates had boarded FV Omaril, an Iranian-flagged vessel, and held the crew as hostages.

According to the statement of the Indian Navy, “INS Sharada intercepted the vessel in the early hours of Friday and used her integral helicopter and boats to coerce the pirates for the safe release of crew along with the vessel. The ship has ensured the successful release of the crew, comprising 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani nationals, along with the boat"

"Relentless efforts by Indian Naval platforms, mission deployed for anti-piracy and maritime security operations, continue to save precious life at sea, symbolising Indian Navy's resolve towards safety of all vessels and seafarers at sea," the Indian Navy said.

This incident comes on the heels of similar operations, where the Indian Navy carried out two major rescue operations within 36 hours and rescued two hijacked fishing vessels and crew members, including 17 Iranian and 19 Pakistani nationals.

'Agreed On Mutually Workable Solutions': India On Maldives Diplomatic Row

NEW DELHI, Feb 2: India and Maldives haven agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions during the talks held here with no mention of troops' withdrawal. The Maldives, on the other hand, claimed that the Indian troops will move out completely by May.

"During the meeting, both sides continued their discussions on wide ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation towards identifying steps to enhance the partnership, including expediting the implementation of ongoing development cooperation projects," said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.

"Both sides also agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac services (medical evacuation) to the people of Maldives," the Ministry added.

India has a deployment of about 89 personnel, including medical staff, to operate three aircraft to patrol the archipelago's vast maritime territory.

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu came to power in September after pledging to evict Indian forces.

Govt approves Bilateral Investment Treaty between India-UAE

NEW DELHI, Feb 1: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved the signing and ratification of the Bilateral Investment Treaty between India and UAE.

The approval for the signing and ratification of the ambitious investment treaty comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit to the UAE this month.

In Thursday's meeting, the Union Cabinet also extended the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) till 2025-26.

The fund, worth ₹15,000 crore, was approved by the government in June 2020.

According to an official statement, the Cabinet approved the "continuation of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) to be implemented under Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF) with an outlay of ₹29,610.25 crore for another three years up to 2025-26."

The scheme will incentivise investments for dairy processing and product diversification, meat processing and product diversification, animal feed plant, breed multiplication farm, animal waste to wealth management (Agri-waste management) and veterinary vaccine and drug production facilities.

Besides this, the Cabinet also extended the scheme of sugar subsidy for Antyodya Anna Yojna (AAY) families distributed through the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) for two more years.

It also approved the determination of the marketing margin for supply of Domestic gas to Fertiliser (Urea) between May 2009 and November 2015 and the continuation of the scheme for Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies for the export of garments and made ups.

Imran Khan, wife Bushra Bibi jailed for corruption

ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been jailed for 14 years, the second sentence handed to Pakistan's former prime minister in two days.

The couple were convicted of illegally profiting from state gifts - just a week before a general election in which he is barred from standing.

Khan, who was ousted as PM by his opponents in 2022, is already serving a three-year jail term for corruption.

He has said the numerous cases against him are politically motivated.

Wednesday's court case revolved around accusations over state gifts that he and his wife received while in office, while Tuesday's case - for which he was sentenced to 10 years - for leaking classified state documents. It is thought the two sentences will run concurrently, although that has not been confirmed.

The court has also ordered the couple to pay a fine of about 1.5 billion rupees (£4.2m; $5.3m).

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party also said that the sentencing further bans their leader from future political work: he will be disqualified for 10 years from holding public office.

Khan's lawyers said they would be launching an appeal to Pakistan's High Court in both cases.

The former premier and international cricket star has been detained since last August when he was arrested, serving time mostly at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

His wife Bushra Bibi, who had been out on remand, surrendered at the jail on Wednesday. She has typically kept a low profile during their period in office. The two married in 2018, months before Khan was elected prime minister.

In the so-called Toshakhana (state treasury) case, both had strongly denied the accusations brought against them by Pakistan's anti-corruption watchdog that they had sold or kept state gifts received in office for personal profit. Such gifts included a jewellery set from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

The PTI has described the cases against Khan as bogus, arguing the trials occurred under duress in "kangaroo courts", where proceedings have been rushed. His lawyers have said he was not given a chance to defend himself, while reporters at the court said neither Khan nor Bibi - nor their legal team - were in the room when the sentences were handed down.

It said Wednesday's case heralded "another sad day in our judicial system history", alleging the judiciary was being "dismantled" and that the decision was akin to "a pre-determined process in play". Pakistan's judiciary maintains it is independent.

Thai court orders end to Move Forward Party's bid to reform royal insult law

BANGKOK, Feb 1: Thailand's Move Forward Party, which won most seats at the last election, was Wednesday ordered to stop campaigning to reform the kingdom's tough royal defamation laws, as a top court ruled the policy was unlawful.

The party won last year's election on a progressive platform that included a once unthinkable proposal to amend the lese majeste law, which carries penalties of up to 15 years in jail for each perceived insult of Thailand's powerful crown.

But its promises to reform the military, business monopolies and lese-majeste laws spooked the kingdom's powerful conservative elite.

Then-leader Pita Limjaroenrat was blocked from becoming prime minister and MFP was shut out of the governing coalition.

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled that the party's campaign pledge to reform Thailand's strict laws protecting King Maha Vajiralongkorn amounted to an attempt to "overthrow the monarchy".

The court said the plan to amend the royal defamation law showed "an intent to separate the monarchy from the Thai nation, which is significantly dangerous to the security of the state".

"There are prohibitions on the exercise of rights and freedoms that affect the country's security and peace, order of the state, and good morals," it said.

The court ordered Pita and MFP to stop campaigning for lese-majeste reform immediately.

Billionaire Sultan Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysia's 17th king

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1: The billionaire sultan who rules Malaysia’s Johor state was sworn in as the nation’s new king Wednesday under a unique rotating monarchy system.

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, 65, took his oath of office at the palace and signed the instrument of the proclamation of office in a ceremony witnessed by other royal families, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Cabinet members. A coronation ceremony will be held later.

One of the richest men in the country, Sultan Ibrahim has an extensive business empire ranging from real estate to telecoms and power plants. The candid monarch has close ties with Anwar and his rule could bolster Anwar’s unity government, which faces a strong Islamic opposition.

Nine ethnic Malay state rulers have taken turns as king for five-year terms under the world’s only such system since Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. Malaysia has 13 states but only nine have royal families, some that trace their roots to centuries-old Malay kingdoms that were independent states until they were brought together by the British.