Day: May 15, 2021

Signaling a possible dip in the ongoing third wave of coronavirus, Pakistan on Saturday recorded 1,531 infections, the lowest daily tally since March, the Health Ministry said.

On March 8 the South Asian country saw 1,353 infections.

Another 83 people lost their lives due to the novel virus over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll since March 2020 to 19,467.

The overall national infection tally stands at 874,751, with 783,480 recoveries. The total number of active cases in the country is 71,804.

The recent decline in the number of cases is viewed as the result of a strict government lockdown during the Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Health experts, however, fear a rise in number of cases once the restrictions are eased starting Sunday.

Later Saturday, the National Command and Operation Center, a state-run agency that oversees the country’s anti-virus strategy, announced relaxations in current restrictions, including lifting a ban on inter-provincial and inter-city transport.

However, according to a statement, that transport will operate at 50% passenger occupancy, except for railways, which will operate at 70%.

All markets and shops as of Monday can also remain open till 8.00 p.m (1500GMT).

Normal working hours for offices will also resume Monday, with the condition that 50% of staff work from home.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Israeli police detained dozens of Arabs on Friday and injured several others in clashes that erupted in several Arab towns inside Israel.

The Yediot Ahronoth newspaper reported that police arrested at least 30 people in Kafr Kanna, in the Galilee area in northern Israel.

Witnesses told Anadolu Agency that Israeli forces used live bullets, rubber-coated bullets, tear gas canisters and stun grenades against protesters.

Others were also detained in the Arab towns of Umm al-Fahm, Ein Mahil, Baqa al-Gharbiyye and Sheikh Danun in the north as demonstrations were held to protest Israeli settlers assaults on Palestinians and in support of Jerusalem and Gaza.

Police also, detained the deputy head of the Islamic movement in Israel, Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib, on Friday after breaking into his home in Kafr Kanna.

Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah area for the past month as Israeli settlers swarmed in after an Israeli court ordered the eviction of Palestinian families from their homes.

Palestinians protesting in solidarity with the residents of Sheikh Jarrah have been targeted by Israeli forces.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s foreign minister on Saturday spoke to his Sudanese counterpart and the EU foreign policy chief about the situation in Palestine.

In separate phone calls with Mariam al-Mahdi and Josep Borell, Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the latest developments in Palestine and steps to be taken in the international arena, according to diplomatic sources.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in air strikes since May 10, killing at least 139 people, including 39 children and 22 women, and injuring 950 more people.

At least four multistory buildings have also been destroyed in the air raids on the besieged Palestinian territory, among them one housing offices of various media groups, including Al Jazeera and the US’ Associated Press.

The airstrikes on Gaza were preceded by days of tensions and Israeli aggression in occupied East Jerusalem, where hundreds of Palestinians were assaulted by Israeli forces and settlers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The European Union urged Azerbaijan and Armenia on Friday to moderation regarding tensions concerning setting borders.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he called on both sides to show maximum moderation and reduce tensions during telephone calls with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart Ara Aivazian.

He said the borders must be set through negotiations and that the EU welcomes technical talks between the parties.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed some regions settled by the Azerbaijani army and decided to make an application to the Collective Security Treaty Organization — a military alliance comprised of former Soviet states.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Israeli flag was illuminated to the administrative headquarters of Bosnia’s Serb entity and Austria’s Prime Ministry as a sign of support to Israel’s attacks on Palestine.

Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz announced on Twitter that the flag of Israel was hoisted on the roof of the prime minister’s building to show that they are in solidarity with Israel.

Kurz strongly condemned Palestine and described the Palestinians as “terrorists” for taking action against Israeli attacks.

Known for his close ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kurtz threw his support behind Israel, whose attacks caused the deaths of dozens of Palestinian children and civilians.

Meanwhile, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb entity illuminated an Israeli flag to its administrative center as a sign of support.

The flag was illuminated to the presidential palace in the city of Banja Luka of Republik Srpska (RS), one of two entities of Bosnia.

“Supporting our Israeli friends in their efforts to bring peace in the country,” RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic said on social media.

Also, another Israeli flag was projected on the historical walls in the Serbian-majority city of Trebinje in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Slovenia hoisted Israeli flags on government buildings as a sign of solidarity.

“We condemn the terrorist attacks and we stand by Israel,” said Prime Minister Janez Jansa.

Israeli forces in recent days have attacked Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, who were ordered to be evicted by an Israeli court.

The occupying forces also raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque during special night prayers in Ramadan.

The subsequent escalation of tensions resulted in airstrikes by Israel on Gaza, killing over 120 Palestinian citizens, including children and women, according to health officials. At least 920 others have been injured, besides heavy damage to residential buildings.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The top diplomats of Pakistan and China spoke over the phone on Saturday to discuss the latest situation in Palestine amid ongoing Israeli attacks.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Islamabad has profound concern over the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Qureshi said the situation was becoming a major threat to peace and security in the Middle East.

He stressed that the violent attacks perpetrated by Israeli forces against innocent worshipers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and unarmed civilians and children in occupied territories are against humanitarian norms and international law.

Qureshi underlined the need for urgent steps by the international community “to stop the Israeli attacks, protect the civilian population, facilitate engagement of the parties, and ensure a just and lasting solution based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the two-state vision.”

He also briefed the Chinese official about Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s outreach to world leaders to address the “serious” situation in Palestine.

The two top diplomats reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to intensify their collective efforts “to promote peace, stability and imperatives of justice.”

They also discussed the ongoing Afghan peace process, according to the statement.

Qureshi emphasized the importance of a “responsible” withdrawal of foreign forces from the war-ravaged country, reduction in violence, and the earliest possible cessation of hostilities.

He also stressed the need for all Afghan parties to seize the opportunity to work together and secure a negotiated inclusive political solution.

The Pakistani foreign minister also discussed Israel’s aggression in Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank with his Sudanese counterpart Mariam al-Mahdi.

The two diplomats agreed to adopt a joint stance at all international forums for a peaceful resolution of the Palestine issue and against Israel’s aggression, according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

Qureshi also discussed the Palestine situation in a phone call with Egypt’s Foreign Minister

The two agreed to accord the highest priority to de-escalating the situation and resolved to continue liaising closely on the matter, the Foreign Ministry said.

Shoukry appreciated Pakistan’s drive to reach out to brotherly Muslim countries and efforts for restoring peace in the region.

He briefed Qureshi on the latest developments and Egypt’s efforts to find a diplomatic solution, the statement added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Danish police on dispersed a group of protesters gathered here in the capital on Friday to show solidarity with Palestine.

The protest, which began at the Svanemollen train station with a small group that was planned to end at the Israeli Embassy via walking in corteges following speeches, saw a clash between demonstrators and police in front of the diplomatic building.

Police intervened after a loud explosion was heard with torpedoes thrown several times behind a police cordon that was formed around the embassy. Police dispersed tear gas on demonstrators gathered at a square with more than one tear gas bomb.

Several women and children among demonstrators were affected by the tear gas.

Law enforcement officers then dispersed protesters using force.

While some demonstrators returned to the initial start of the demonstration and continued to chant slogans against Israel, others waved Palestinian flags on Copenhagen streets and demanded freedom for Palestine.

About 4,000 people attended the demonstration, according to information Danish state television, DR, received from security forces.

Israeli forces in recent days have attacked Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, who were ordered to be evicted by an Israeli court.

The occupying forces also raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque during special night prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The subsequent escalation of tensions resulted in airstrikes by Israel on Gaza that have killed more than 136 Palestinians and injuring close to 1,000.

Several residential towers in Gaza City have been destroyed by Israeli fighter jets, an act that could amount to a war crime.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Israeli attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip killed three more Palestinians early Saturday, taking the death toll to 136, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The dead includes two siblings from the al-Mansi family and one from the al-Sabah family.

Total fatalities included 38 children and 22 women, while the number injured has exceeded 950 since Monday, said a statement from the ministry.

Israeli forces carried out nearly 30 airstrikes early Saturday targeting the northern Gaza Strip.

The Kuleybu Mosque was completely destroyed in the attack, Gaza’s Ministry of Foundations and Religious Affairs said in a statement.

Before this latest attack, Israel killed seven civilians, including five children and two women.

Witnesses said the bodies were taken to Shifa hospital after the bombing of a house belonging to the Abu Hatab family in the Al-Shati refugee camp.

A search for missing people under the rubble is underway, they said.

Israeli warplanes resumed airstrikes Friday on the blockaded Gaza Strip, causing heavy damage to residential buildings across the enclave.

Meanwhile, 11 Palestinians were killed Friday as Israeli forces clashed with demonstrators to disperse rallies in parts of the West Bank.

Also, Lebanese authorities announced that a Lebanese youth was killed when Israeli artillery fire targeted protesters along the Israeli security fence in the south of the country.

Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Damascus Gate since the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan as Israeli forces and settlers assaulted Palestinians.

Tensions moved from East Jerusalem to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate against Israeli assaults on Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah if they were not halted.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Representatives of the Taliban and Afghan government resumed intra-Afghan negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha, both sides confirmed on Friday.

Delegates said in a series of tweets posted simultaneously that in addition to Eid al-Fitr greetings, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the sides discussed the ongoing situation in the country and emphasized speeding up peace talks.

“Abdul Salam Rahimi and Fatima Gailani represented IRoA (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan), while the other side (Taliban) was represented by many members of their negotiation team including Mullah Beradar Akhund. Both parties emphasized restart of the peace talks after eid,” the Afghan government delegation tweeted.

Taliban’s Qatar office spokesman Mohammed Naeem said “both sides agreed to continue the negotiations even after Eid.”

Since the announcement of an exit date of September 2021 for American troops by US President Joe Biden, Afghanistan has witnessed a spike in deadly Taliban assaults that has led to mounting casualties on all sides.

Responding to the Taliban’s brief truce call for Eid, Afghan President Mohammed Ashraf Ghani said Thursday that the withdrawal of foreign troops leaves no reason left for insurgents to continue killing civilians and destroying infrastructure.

“The good thing about the democratic system is that every president eventually has to go. Our condition is elections, as soon as you want, me and my colleagues are ready not to nominate ourselves and listen to the people’s voice,” he said while insisting on early polls for peace.

The national flag flew at half-mast at public offices and diplomatic missions around the world Tuesday as the death toll from a bomb attack last Saturday at a girls’ school in Kabul surged to 85.

In his Eid message, insurgents leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said the Taliban considers the withdrawal of foreign forces as “a good step.”

“Unfortunately, the American side has so far violated the signed [Doha] agreement repeatedly and caused enormous human and material loss to civilians,” said Akhundzada, who has not been seen in public for years. He added that if the US failed to live up to its commitments, it should be held accountable for all consequences.

In a veiled reference to the proposed Istanbul conference for peace in Afghanistan, he said the Taliban must be taken into confidence in advance so that it assesses the proposal and makes a final decision.

“That is because we value the lofty objectives of our people for which they have presented tremendous sacrifices,” he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency