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Illegal Israeli blockades encroach deeper into Gaza

• Earth barriers now seal off 85pc of boundary • Satellite images show land cleared, olive groves razed, buildings demolished beyond Yellow Line • Troops forcing families from tent camps into ever-shrinking safe zone ISRAEL’s military is systematically expanding an extensive network of earth barriers and shifting demarcation markers deeper into the Gaza Strip, displacing Palestinian families and raising concerns of a prolonged occupation, according to a BBC News report. Under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas last October, Israeli forces agreed to withdraw to a designated demarcation known as the Yellow Line, leaving Israel in temporary control of 53pc of Gaza’s territory. However, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated the military controlled over 60pc of the teritory, and in May said his directive was to increase that area to 70pc, the report said. Hamas maintains that Israel is violating the agreement by pushing the Yellow Line westward. The I...
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10 climbers missing after Broad Peak avalanche

• Alpine Club seeks helicopter support, says it is in touch with authorities • Another 8-member team summits Gasherbrum II; over 200 climbers advance on K2, Gasherbrum peaks GILGIT: The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said it was deeply concerned after it lost contact with a 10-member international climbing team on Broad Peak, after an avalanche struck around midday on Thursday. The avalanche on the 8,047-metre peak hit an expedition led by renowned mountaineer Nir­mal ‘Nims’ Purja, according to initial reports from the club. The team comprises Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, five Nepalese climbers, an American, an Omani, a Chinese, and one other foreign climber. According to ACP’s Karrar Haidri, the club was closely monitoring the situation. A statement issued on Wednesday night said that they were coordinating with government authorities and rescue agencies to mobilise helicopter support and ground rescue teams as soon as weather and operational conditions allow. Acco...
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ECP refuses to recognise Achakzai as PkMAP chief over failure to hold intra-party polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday refused to recognise National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai as chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) over the party’s failure to hold intra-party elections. A full five-member bench of the commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the matter. Two other cases related to the party were also fixed for hearing. It was learnt that not only Achakzai’s leadership but also certain “controversial” amendments made to the party’s constitution and PkMAP’s account details were under question. At the initial hearing last week, the ECP bench had observed that a decision would first be made regarding the party’s counsel, Aimal Mandokhail. On Thursday, the chief election commissioner said an order would be issued regarding the power of attorney. Raja made the remarks after asking the lawyer who had signed the power of attorney submitted to the commission. Mandokha...
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Footprints: Trudging home in waist-deep water

AFTER being forced to leave his home submerged in the waters of Bhed Nullah, Aslam and his family have come back to the flooded village in Ferozwala to pick up some clothes, bedding, and other essential items. A large number of people, including his relatives, moved to higher ground and other cities after the nullah breached its bank and inundated villages along the GT Road. “Flooding in Bhed Nullah has always ruined our houses and farmland, throwing our life out of gear,” Aslam, a resident of Rahim Colony, told Dawn while walking beside a railway track towards his flooded house to pick up clothes. They had to vacate their houses after the floodwater suddenly entered their village, he said, adding that they left everything behind because there was no time to prepare. Several villages along the Lahore-Gujranwala tract of GT Road have been fully submerged after nearby nullahs overflowed For Aslam, life had been difficult before the floods, but he fears more hardships in the near ...
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22 villages in Punjab's Multan district partially submerged under floodwaters

LAHORE: At least 22 mouzas (villages) in Multan district have been submerged under three to four feet of floodwater from the River Chenab, forcing thousands of residents to move to safer places, while standing crops over large tracts have also been damaged, according to the district administration’s latest flood situation report. The report compiled by the assistant commissioners, available with Dawn , said the district has 545 mouzas, of which 138 are flood-prone. It said 22 mouzas have been partially inundated with up to 3-4 feet of water, including four in Multan Saddar, seven in Shujaabad and 11 in Jalalpur Pirwala tehsils. Residents said the advancing floodwater drove thousands of people to relocate with their cattle to safer areas, while cotton, fodder and other standing crops were submerged, causing substantial agricultural losses. The district administration said no mouza had been categorised as severely affected and no formal evacuation order had been issued. It added tha...
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Rivers may swell again as fresh monsoon spell arrives

• Met Office predicts rain across country from today until Aug 5; warns of likely flash floods, landslides • Indus in medium-flood at Guddu, eastern rivers may surge amid fresh spell • Rescue efforts continue as villages on Lahore outskirts remain submerged • PM reviews monsoon response LAHORE/RAWALPINDI: With another torrential spell of monsoon rains expected from July 29, the water level in the Indus River on Tuesday was steadily increasing, with the river likely to experience a medium-level flood at Guddu Barrage within 24 hours (Wednesday evening), while flooding in the Ravi and Chenab rivers had reduced considerably. According to an irrigation official in Punjab, the situation in the eastern rivers had improved, but the looming monsoon spell in the catchment areas could increase their flow again. From July 29 to Aug 5, almost all parts of the country will receive heavy rains, which may generate flash floods in hilly regions and inundate urban centres, prompting the prime minist...
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Airbus completes record 24-hour flight with plane to be used by Qantas

A specially modified Airbus A350 plane touched down in France on Tuesday after a record 24-hour test flight from Australia, ahead of its joining Qantas’s fleet next year. Its 23,076-kilometre journey — across three continents and two oceans, and through two sunsets and two dawns — was one of the most-watched flights shown on the Flightradar24 tracking site. It was also a crucial step before Australian airline Qantas receives its first A350-1000ULR in April next year, to be followed by 11 others for services able to link Australia non-stop to destinations in the United States and Europe. The ULR in its designation stands for “ultra long distance”, a feat made possible by an additional 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank being fitted to Airbus’s A350-1000 model. The flight from Australia to France took precisely 24 hours and 24 minutes. On its outbound flight last week, from Toulouse to Melbourne, the test aircraft flew 17,000 kilometre...
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