Connect with us

Foreign News

Dozens killed in Pakistan sectarian violence

Published

on

The violence comes less than two months after funeral for victims from previous unrest (BBC)

More than 80 people have been killed in renewed sectarian violence in north-west Pakistan, officials say.

Another156 are said to have been wounded in three days of fighting in the tribal district of Kurram, near the Afghan border.

The violence began on Thursday, when gunmen attacked convoys of Shia Muslims  travelling through the area under police escort. More than 40 died in that incident, which triggered revenge attacks.

Shia and Sunni Muslims have engaged in tribal and sectarian rivalries over land disputes for decades.

On Sunday a local administration official told AFP news agency: “The clashes and convoy attacks on November 21, 22, and 23 have resulted in 82 fatalities and 156 injuries.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said that 16 of the dead were Sunni and 66 belonged to the Shia community.

Those killed in Thursday’s attacks on convoys included women and children. Passenger Saeeda Bano described to BBC Urdu how she feared she would be killed as she hid under the car seats with her children.

Hundreds of residents fled amid escalating violence Friday and on Saturday.

It comes after dozens of people died in attacks over the past few months, prompting calls for a ceasefire from a tribal council.

On Saturday provincial officials began talks with both Shia and Sunni community leaders, AFP reported.

A security official in the provincial capital Peshawar told AFP that the negotiators’ helicopter had come under fire as it arrived in the region.

Map of north-west Pakistan
(BBC)


Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Foreign News

US top court orders Trump to return man deported to El Salvador in ‘error’

Published

on

By

The Supreme Court refused to block a judge's order requiring the Trump administration to facilitate Mr Garcia's return (BBC)

The US Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a Maryland man, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador’s notorious mega-jail.

The Trump administration had conceded that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported by accident, but appealed against a federal court’s order to return him to the US.

On Thursday, in a 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court declined to block the lower court’s order.

The judge’s order “requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent”, the justices ruled.

(BBC)

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Woman jailed over £39 donation to Ukraine freed in US-Russia prisoner swap

Published

on

By

Ksenia Karelina was detained in Yekaterinburg in 2024 [BBC]

A Russian-American citizen has been released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

Amateur ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a Los Angeles resident, had been in prison in Russia for over a year, after being arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg in early 2024.

She was found guilty of treason for donating money to a US-based charity providing humanitarian support to Ukraine and was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony.

In exchange, the US reportedly freed Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen arrested in Cyprus in 2023. He was accused of illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia for manufacturers working with the Russian military.

[BBC]

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Nationwide strike for better pay brings Greece to standstill

Published

on

By

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest, marking a 24-hour strike over low wages, in Athens, Greece, April 9, 2025 [Aljazeera]

A nationwide general strike disrupted public services across Greece, with ferries tied up in port, flights grounded and public transport running only part-time as labour unions press for higher wages to cope with rising living costs.

The 24-hour strike on Wednesday was called by the two main umbrella unions covering the public and private sectors, seeking a full return of collective bargaining rights which were scrapped as part of international bailouts during Greece’s financial crisis.

Greece has emerged from a 2009-18 debt crisis, which saw rolling cuts in wages and pensions in turn for bailouts worth about 290 billion euros ($319bn) and economic growth seen at 2.3 percent this year, outpacing other eurozone economies.

Tapping on the country’s progress, the conservative government increased the monthly minimum wage by a cumulative 35 percent to 880 euros ($970). But many households still struggle to make ends meet amid rising food, power and housing costs, the labour unions say.

The country braces for further global financial turmoil triggered by US tariffs.

[Aljazeera]

Continue Reading

Trending