A Cuban airplane en route to Havana crashed late 4 November, killing all 68 persons on board, state media revealed. The state-owned Aero Caribe aircraft crashed near Guasimal in the centre of the island in the morning. Al-Jazeera reports many of the passengers were foreigners, but a breakdown by nationlity has not been given.
In Pakistan, a private charter plane with 21 people on board crashed after taking off from Karachi’s airport, leaving no survivors. The plane was chartered to ENI, Italy’s largest oil company, and was headed for the Bhit oil field in southern Sindh.
Links to other sites:Bloomberg, Daily Telegraph, Dawn, Xinhua
The high-level peace talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and senior Taliban leaders are little more than “exchanges of cash and prisoners”, according to the Guardian. It is not unusual, experts say, that fighting and talking go on simultaneously, and war has traditionally been conducted this way. Also, the US military needs to show that it is making progress in the war ahead of a strategic review in December, according to Alex Strick van Linschoten, a Taliban expert. He suggested that the extensive media play was in part to confuse the Taliban leadership.
Richard Holbrooke, the Obama Administration’s senior diplomat to the region, has stated that he has no information regarding the Pakistan army or intelligence services opposing peace talks, according to India Express. He warned in a CNN interview 24 October not to put too much store by the so-called peace talks. The leading US general in Afghanistan, David Petraeus, told the media that Nato and US forces were guaranteeing safe passage of Taliban officials to peace talks.
Pakistani security officials have stressed that there can be no lasting peace in Afghanistan without their input, and have complained that US and Afghan officials have been sidelining them in the peace process. An unnamed high-ranking official told the Washington Post, “We cannot be insignificant in this war. If somebody is trying to keep us out and is striving for sustainable peace, good luck to them.”
Links to other sites: CNN, Guardian, Indian Express, Washington Post
Twelve people have died in an attack on a used car parts market, the Shershah Kabaari market, in the southern part of Karachi, Pakistan’s most important city. Police said gunmen on six or seven motorcycles drove up from the Lyari district, first shot into the air, then shot indiscriminately into the crowded market. Many more were injured in the attack, 19 October, and the death toll may rise. At least 18 other people died in separate incidents throughout the city.
Police were blamed for reacting slowly to the shootings, even though there is a major police station in the area. The shootings bring to over 50 the number of killings in Karachi since Saturday, when the two dominant political parties contested a by-election for a seat formerly held by Raza Haider, of the MQM party, himself the victim of murder. The MQM held onto the seat.
Karachi represents a quarter of Pakistan’s GDP, and two political parties vie for control and patronage in the city’s government. The MQM, which represents the city’s largely Urdu-speaking descendants of immigrants from India following partition, is a member of the Pakistani government’s ruling coalition. They have threatened to withdraw from the coalition if more is not done to stem the violence. Its main rival, teh Awami National Party, is backed by the Pashtun ethnic majority.
Links to other sites: Al-Jazeera, BBC, Daily Times
Osama bin Laden is living in relative comfort in a house not far from his deputy in northwest Pakistan, says a senior Nato official familiar with sensitive intelligence in the war in Afghanistan, as reported by CNN 18 October. Interceptions of Taliban and al Qaeda communications indicate that the US cross-border drone attacks on militants have pushed their leaders from vulnerable border areas into more populated towns and even cities, where the risk of collateral damage limits potential attacks.
The Pakistani ambassador to the USA says that the accusation is ludicrous. “Anybody who thinks that … is smoking something they shouldn’t be”, Husain Haqqani was quoted as saying.
Some elements of the Pakistani government and intelligence services are suspected of being sympathetic to the Taliban and al Qaeda, which they see as useful allies against India.
The US amabassador in Islamabad, Anne Patterson, apologized to the Pakistan government 6 October for an attack on a Pakistani border post, saying it was a “terrible accident”, but the main crossing into Afghanistan remains closed to truck traffic and almost 2,500 trucks are backed up along the border.
Almost 600 trucks and fuel tankers cross from Pakistan into Afghanistan over the Khyber Pass at Torkham every day to provide supplies to the 142,000 Nato troops fighting the insurgency in Afghanistan. The Pass has been closed on orders from the Pakistani government since last week when US helicopters crossed into Pakistan and bombed the border post, killing three Pakistani Frontier Scouts.
Insurgents in Pakistan have set fire to dozens of stationary tankers over the past few days. The latest attacks came 6 October when 60 tanker trucks were torched in two separate incidents, and several drivers have been killed or wounded. Nato says its efforts in Afghanistan have not been affected.
A man died after gunmen, allegedly Taliban, torched several tankers carrying fuel to Nato troops in Afghanistan. Earlier, armed men had opened fire on a Nato convoy also going through Pakistan.
On Monday, at least six people were killed and nine others wounded on yet another attack on Nato tankers.
Disputes over how the US is fighting the war on terror in Pakistan is also increasing and have put the two nations at odds once again.
On Monday 4 October, a Nato strike killed eight anti-government fighters, five of those killed were Germans; last week a Nato-led raid killed three Pakistani soldiers.
Additional details: Al Jazeera English, Pakistan Observer
A US drone, an unmanned aircraft, has killed several militants, including some women and children, in a missile attack on a compound near Mir Ali in North Waziristan, in the tribal areas of NW Pakistan. The attack came on Monday, 4 October, amid warnings from the US State Department and Great Britain of possible attacks in France, Germany and the UK, similar to the Mumbai attacks in late 2008. Several of the dead militants were said to be “Arabs”, a local term meaning anyone from the Middle East, but also from Turkey.
The source of the information on the plot in Europe is believed to be a man held in Bagram prison in Afghanistan since July, said to be of Afghan descent, but a German citizen. German authorities were alerted that earlier this year a number of men from Hamburg are known to have travelled to Pakistan.
The US military has stepped up its programme to use drones to kill militants seeking refuge across the border in Pakistan. More than 160 people have been killed this year by missile strikes.
Links to other sites: Al-Jazeera, LA Times, Reuters
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The International Migration Organization in Geneva Monday 20 September launched a new, second major appeal to international donors, for help aiding victims of Pakistan’s ongoing flood crisis. The IOM is asking for $114 million in new funds to help the 20 million people affected by the country’s worst-ever flooding. It follows a August appeal for $38m for three-month emergency funds, of which £22m in pledges have come in, mainly from the US, UK, Canada, Sweden, Japan and the UN.
The new appeal covers projects to run through July 2011 and includes money for:
- Emergency and longer term shelter, and coordination of the Emergency Shelter Cluster ($70m)
- Community restoration, including debris removal and repair of damaged infrastructure ($26m)
- Staff and procurement support for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) ($4m)
- Logistics and transport for aid agencies and the NDMA ($3m)
- Mass communications for disaster-affected populations ($3m)
- Emergency health care and restoration of primary health care ($2m)
- Distribution of tool kits to help people to restart their livelihoods and rebuild their houses ($2m)
- Displacement camp coordination and camp management ($2m)
- Prevention of human trafficking ($1m)
Details of IOM’s Pakistan funds appeal
Angelina Jolie, UNHCR ambassador, meets with villagers hit by Pakistan floods, 7 September 2010 (photo: ©2010 UNHCR / J Tanner)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Celebrity actress Angelina Jolie is making a strong appeal to the public not to forget about Pakistan’s millions of flood victims as the waters recede.
She is touring the country, for the fourth time since 2001, in her role as a UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) goodwill ambassador.
“It’s clear this crisis is far from over,” says Jolie. “People have lost everything: their homes, their belongings, their crops and cattle, and their livelihoods. Long after the cameras have gone, people will be struggling to rebuild their lives.”
Angelina Jolie, UNHCR ambassador, visiting KandaroII Camp in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, 7 September 2010 (photo: ©2010 UNHCR / J Tanner)
Tuesday September 7 she met people who had been directly affected by the floods. She visited Mohib Banda, where some 70 per cent of the homes were destroyed or badly damaged by the swirling waters.”
“There was a small stream outside the broken homes. It was full of a mix of faeces, flies, old shoes and old clothes that had been recently washed into the water,” she noted.
International sports, cricket
Cardiff, Wales (GenevaLunch) - England beat Pakistan by five wickets in the first of the Twenty20 matches. Pakistan were held to 126 runs as Graeme Swann gave a master class of off-spin bowling. England started quickly but then lost wickets to reach 62 for 5 before Eoin Morgan and Michael Yardy put together a 67 run partnership to win the match by five wickets with 17 balls left.
The News of the World had earlier released more details of the betting scam they revealed the previous week. They report that captain Salman Butt was found to have at least £10,000 in cash when his rooms were searched by police investigating a betting fraud. The alleged fixer, Mazhar Majeed, was also suspected of trying to open Swiss bank accounts for some of the players.
Pakistan/ Floods/ A young Afghan boy stands next to his home damaged by flash floods in the Hazijai Afghan refugee village in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (photo: ©2010 UNHCR / R Ali
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – One-fifth of Pakistan is under water and while floodwaters are receding in some places, the need for basic shelter in flooded areas in Pakistan has become critical, say Geneva-based humanitarian organizations, who are launching appeals for more public support. International Office for Migration (IOM) Director General William Lacy Swing, who has been visiting the area, says “these floods are one of the most extreme humanitarian disasters in living memory.”
The flooding is causing enormous displacement problems in Pakistan as well as in neighbouring Afghanistan, where the number of returning refugees is growing rapidly.
Appeal triples in size to US$120 million
The UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) issued a broadcast appeal late Tuesday 30 August, featuring its Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie. That UN agency says that “with nearly 20 million people estimated to have been affected, the needs of the victims are outpacing the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide assistance. Last week UNHCR revised upwards its global appeal for the Pakistan flood operation to US$120 million from US$41 million.”
International sports, cricket
Lord’s, London (Genevalunch) - England won the fourth Test against Pakistan by a convincing innings and 225 runs, also winning the series 3-1. The result was tarnished by a report in the News of the World revealing a betting fraud which appeared to implicate two of the Pakistani fast bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. The English Sunday tabloid provided video and audio footage of a match-fixer taking £150,000 in bribes in exchange for information that the two bowlers would bowl “no balls” by overstepping the bowling crease on specific balls in the match. The Pakistani captain and manager emphasised that these were only unproven allegations but the Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani said the country would “bow its head in shame.”
It is particularly sad that the scandal took away from an excellent Test with a number of record-breaking performances. The first was by the 18 year old Mohammad Amir who took six wickets as the England batting collapsed to 102 f0r 7. Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad responded with a partnership of 332 runs, a record for the ninth wicket in any Test. It was then time for a Pakistan batting collapse, 74 all out. Following on they again crumbled to 147 all out with Graham Swann picking up five wickets for 62. The teenage star of the series, considered by many commentators to be the best young cricketer in the world faces a possible life ban if found guilty of cheating.
Links to other sites: News of the World, BBC, Guardian
Young Afghan boy stands next to his home damaged by flash floods in the Hazijai Afghan refugee village in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (photo ©2010 UNHCR / R. Ali)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in Pakistan are victims of the recent catastrophic flooding that has affected large swathes of Pakistan, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which notes that the refugees’ evacuation from their settlements has opened a debate concerning the land the villages are built on.
“Dozens of Afghan refugee villages have been damaged, and several are completely destroyed. In Khyber Pakhtunkwa province (PDF map) alone, more than 12,000 dwellings in refugee villages have been swept away leaving almost 70,000 people homeless,” reports UNHCR.
The Geneva-based UN group says it has the agreement of the relevant government ministries that refugees will be resettled in their villages and says it hopes “that moves by land speculators are stymied.”
Displaced Afghan refugee Gul Hassan is taking refuge on a road side near Hajizai Afghan refugee village which was destroyed by recent floods; August 2010 (photo ©2010 UNHCR / R. Ali)
Pakistan is home to 1.7 million Afghan refugees, many of whom have been in the country since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. When the settlements were built they were often on the edges of towns; now towns and cities have grown, and the land has become more valuable. In March, the government and UNHCR signed an agreement on extending the refugees’ permission to stay until end 2012.
UNHCR has seen its mandate extended as a result of the extreme flooding in Pakistan. It is one of only a few international agencies in the remoter areas of the country and has been in the lead in providing help to Pakistanis whose homes have been devastated by the waters.
Up to 20 million Pakistanis may have been affected by the flooding, more rains are on the way, with another month to go in the official monsoon season, and the government is struggling to cope with the extent of the disaster.
Links to other sites: Alertnet, Dawn, The Nation, UNHCR, UNOSAT and Reuters AlertNet map of recent flood damaged areas
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) - The 18 August Swiss Solidarity fundraising day for victims of the massive flooding in Pakistan and neighbouring regions pulled in pledges of CHF13.1 million in aid by midnight. The new pledges, with previous donations since early August of over CHF3 million, bring the total to CHF16.1m.
See related article: Appeals for Pakistan aid, GenevaLunch 18 August 2010
(video) Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – International organizations based in Geneva continue to send out urgent messages about the desperate state of humanitarian affairs in Pakistan, where more than 20 million people have been affected by flooding, and the rains continue to worsen the situation. Swiss Solidarity (La Chaîne du Bonheur in French), for its part, is holding a major fundraising appeal today, 18 August, to raise money for several aid groups who are working in Pakistan. Donations can be made by phone, 0800 87 07 07, or online.
Also making urgent appeals because current funds won’t cover the cost of the most basic food, water, shelter and medical care needs in Pakistan:
WHO is providing an overview of the developing health crises in Pakistan. UNHCR is running several human interest stories on their flickr pages, including one about a family that doesn’t even have enough food to break the Ramadan fast that is just starting.
Flooding in the Province of Punjab, near the city of Multan, in Pakistan, August 15, 2010. UN chief Ban Ki-moon pledged to speed up international aid for as many as 20 million people hit by Pakistan's floods, warning the "heart-wrenching" disaster was far from over. The United Nations has appealed for 460 million dollars to deal with the immediate aftermath of the floods, but has warned that billions will be needed in the long term as villages, businesses, crops and infrastructure have been wiped out. Image: AFP photo / UN photo / Evan Schneider / (Newscom TagID: afplivethree490607)
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) - The Swiss Solidarity Foundation (La Chaîne de Bonheur in French) is heading a national fundraising drive Wednesday 18 August in Switzerland to raise money for flood victims in Pakistan and bordering regions.
The money goes to eight non-profit organizations which are already working in the flood-hit regions, with national partners, to provide emergency relief: Caritas Switzerland, the Christoffel Mission for the Blind (CMB), HEKS, Terre des hommes Child Relief, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC), Handicap International, the Salvation Army and Swiss Labour Assistance (SAH).
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 15 August warned that nearly 20 million people are at risk from the flood, just as Pakistan’s weather forecasters announced that more heavy rains are on the way.
The group has received CHF2.09 million in pledges since 3 August, for Pakistan flood relief. It raised more than CHF65 m to help after the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010.
The foundation is the country’s humanitarian solidarity and fundraising platform, led by the Swiss Public Broadcasting company; it works closely with national media and some 30 Swiss-based aid organizations.
Pledges can be made by phone (no calling charge) starting at 06:00 Wednesday: 0800 87 07 07.
Donations can also be made at any time, either online or to postal account 10-15000-6 (marked “Asian floods”). Swiss Solidarity paying-in slips are carried by every post office.
The UN and Pakistan have launched an appeal for $459.7 million over the coming weeks, to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of some 13 million people affected by the floods and to help rebuild the devastated country.
“This is a major catastrophe said John Holmes UN Humanitarian Chief speaking about Pakistan.
According to the UN at least six million flood victims require immediate humanitarian assistance including shelter, food, clean water, sanitation and medical care.
Video appeal – UN
Thousands of people have been evacuated, and hundreds have perished in the deadliest floods to hit China, North Korea and Pakistan over the weekend.
It is believed that over 13 million people have been affected in Pakistan alone. The death toll rose to 165 as more bodies were rescued in the Indian-controlled Kashmir. About 200 more remained missing.
In China, the death toll jumped to 337 late Monday after Sunday’s landslides in Gansu. Update: The death toll from landslides in northwestern China more than doubled Tuesday to 702.
In North Korea, some 10,000 people are sheltered in public buildings in the border city of Sinuiju near China. Flash floods destroyed thousands of homes across the impoverished country.
Additional details: AP / Yahoo News
An irate Briton from Pakistan hurled his shoes at Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari during a speech in Birmingham, England to protest the government’s handling of the flood crisis wracking Paksistan. Sardar Mohammed Shamin Khan was detained by police. He says he was angry that Zardari was travelling around Europe while the country’s people were suffering. Zardari has been on official visits to France and Britain.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in London, United Kingdom for a five-day visit Wednesday 4 August. Following comments by UK Prime Minister David Cameron concerning Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism, Pakistani officials pressed Zardari to cancel the visit. Cameron has invited Zardari to a private dinner to explain his remarks.
The president is facing increasing criticism at home as more than 1,400 people have died in the worst flooding to have struck northwest Pakistan in decades, leaving three million displaced and 1.8m people in serious need of food aid in the coming weeks.
Also, in the southern port of Karachi, the death toll has risen to above 70 people killed in violence following the murder of a local politician. Commentators note that the Pakistani government response has been poor.
Links to other sites: Christian Science Monitor, Financial Times, Foreign Policy, Reuters, The News International
The shooting death of a member of parliament in the southern city of Karachi, in Pakistan, set off rioting that has resulted in the deaths of at least 37 others. More than 100 people were injured in the riots. Raza Haider, of the MQM party was shot at a funeral, at a mosque. The BBC cites human rights groups as saying that “more than 300 people have been killed in political killings in Karachi this year.” The streets are reported to be deserted and quiet, with police keeping order in the tense hours leading up to the funeral for Haider.
Before the massive flooding in the north of the country in 2010, the Pakistan Red Cross and ICRC have been active in Pakistan in areas where fighting broke out in 2009: Swabi, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. An ICRC delegate interviews a woman in an IDP camp as part of the effort to help her restore contacts with her family (photo: ©2009 ICRC / M Von Bergen)
Update, Reuters video, 10:50 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – The sheer scale of flooding in Pakistan in the past week, and the damage caused by it, is daunting: more than 1,100 people have died, according to official sources, and 2.5 million people have been affected. The International Red Cross (ICRC) and the Pakistan National Red Crescent Society are scrambling to provide emergency relief, with more than 20,000 emergency rations for individuals provided in Balochistan and southern Fata (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), and more en route to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Balochistan.
Infrastructure washed away: delivery extremely difficult
But the scale of the flooding is such that delivering relief aid is extraordinarily difficult, says Geneva-based ICRC.
Emergency teams in Pakistan continue searching for corpses at the site of a plane crash near Islamabad while national mourning begins.
The Airbus A321 operated by Airblue, crashed during monsoon weather minutes before landing, killing all 152 people on board. It is Pakistan’s worst-ever crash on its own territory.
According to the Pakistan’s civil aviation authority the plane had been ordered to take an alternate approach to the runway, but had veered off course. Finding out why will be a key task of the investigation.
Relatives have joined the teams searching the debris in an attempt to recover the bodies of the victims. Two Americans were among the victims, a US embassy spokesman said, but gave no further details.
Links to other sources: BBC News, Pakistan News
Update 3 17:00 An Airblue plane with 152 people on board has crashed in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and authorities now say all those aboard were killed (ed. note: earlier reports that indicated there were some survivors were wrong). The plane was en route from Karachi to Islamabad, and it crashed in the Margalla Hills due to bad weather, shortly before landing. Rescue workers have reached the area, using helicopters, but heavy fog is hampering rescuers. Ninety bodies have been recovered.
Airblue is a low-cost airline that flies mainly within Pakistan, offering several daily flights between Karachi and Islamabad. It also flies to five cities in the Middle East and Europe but does not fly to Turkey.
Times of India carries a list of the passengers on the plane.
Links to other sites: CNN, Geo-TV Pakistan (CNN affiliate), NDTV, Reuters
Two suicide bombers hit Data Ganj Baksh, an important Sufi shrine in Lahore, Pakistan, killing at least 37 people and injuring 175 others. The bombers struck shortly before midnight, when an estimated 1,000 people were at the shrine. The bombs appear to have been detonated from inside the shrine, in the basement, causing massive damage. Sufi’s moderate approach to Islam has made it a target for fundamentalists in the country.
Links to other sites: Bloomberg, New York Times
International sports, cricket
Garfield Sobers Stadium, Barbados (GenevaLunch) – Kevin Pietersen, England’s South African refugee, led his new countrymen to victory over his old ones at the World Cup Twenty20 in Barbados, 8 May. He struck a rapid 53 runs in 33 balls, enabling his team to reach 168 for seven. South Africa were always struggling to keep up with the run rate and lost wickets regularly. They ended on 129 all out.
US Justice officials say Faisal Shahzad, who was arrested Monday 3 May, has admitted to planting an explosive device in a car in Times Square, and told them he was trained in Pakistan. He was arrested in New York after the Emirates flight to Dubai that he was on was asked to turn around and return as it taxied down the runway for takeoff. Shahzad’s name had been on a no-fly list but he had managed to order his ticket while en route to the airport, pay cash for it, make it through JFK Airport security and board the plane. Customs officials found his name on the boarding list shortly before takeoff and turned the plane around. A Justice Department official says there was never any danger he would have left the country, however.
He will be charged with terrorism across national borders, according to the Justice Department.
Links to other sites: US Justice Department and BBC, New York Times
US federal agents and police have taken a man into custody in relation to the attempted bombing of Times Square in New York City 2 May. Faizal Shahzad, a 30-year-old naturalized US citizen originally from Pakistan, was boarding a plane for Dubai when he was arrested. He recently returned from a trip to Pakistan, and a US Justice Department official said in an announcement that they had “gathered significant additional evidence”, which led to his arrest. The charges were not revealed. The man had recently paid cash for the Nissan Pathfinder that was used in the failed attack.
Links to other sites: New York Times, US Justice Department
Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia (GenevaLunch) – India beat newcomers Afghanistan by seven wickets in their first match of the Twenty20 World Cup. In the next game, against South Africa, they set up a huge total of 186 for five with a century by Suresh Raina. The South Africans could never keep up with the run rate with a slow outfield, and they eventually lost by 14 runs. New Zealand beat Sri Lanka with Jesse Ryder scoring 42 from 27 balls for the Black Caps.
Australia did even better when they batted against Pakistan, scoring 191 thanks to 81 by opening batsman Shane Watson. Pakistan could only manage 157 all out in reply.
Links to other sites: Cricket Twenty20, Guardian, Yahoo Cricket
The death of political leader Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan in 2008 could have been avoided, if Pakistan’s intelligence services had done their job properly, a damning UN report published late 15 April indicates. It criticizes handling of the investigation but reserves its harshest words for the country’s intelligence services.
Links to other sites: UN News Centre, Guardian, Reuters
