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  • Biden hopes for ceasefire in Gaza by next week, lasting through Ramadan

    Biden hopes for ceasefire in Gaza by next week, lasting through Ramadan

    US President Joe Biden said Monday he hoped a ceasefire in Gaza could start by the beginning of next week, adding that Israel was ready to halt operations during the Muslim month of Ramadan as part of any deal.

    Amid a spiraling humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, representatives from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, France and others have acted as go-betweens for Israel and Hamas, seeking a halt to the fighting and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

    Asked during an election campaign trip to New York when such an agreement might start, Biden replied: “I hope by the end of the weekend.”

    “My national security advisor tells me that we’re close, we’re close, we’re not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire,” Biden told reporters.

    Biden, 81, gave more details of what a deal could look like when he spoke on the issue in an interview with late-night US television show host Seth Meyers.

    “There is a path forward, with difficulty,” he told Meyers when asked about how to end the conflict.

    Mediators have been hoping to get a deal in place before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in about two weeks.

    “Ramadan’s coming up and 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,” Biden said.

    Biden has previously spoken of a six-week ceasefire.

    ‘Temporary ceasefire’

    The US president said such a deal “gives us time to begin to move in directions that a lot of Arab countries are prepared to move” in terms of normalizing relations with Israel.

    “I think that if we get that temporary ceasefire, we’re going to be able to move in a direction where we can change the dynamic,” he said.

    Biden has firmly supported Israel despite the soaring death toll in its offensive in Gaza following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.

    But he has been increasing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to limit civilian casualties, particularly in Israel’s planned offensive in Rafah.

    Israel had “made a commitment” to evacuate significant parts of Rafah before they “go and take out the remainder of Hamas,” Biden added.

    But overall Biden warned that the “only way Israel ultimately survives” was to reach a deal that gives “peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians.”

    Amid mounting tensions with Netanyahu, Biden told Meyers that if Israel continued with its “incredibly conservative government they have… they’re going to lose support from around the world.”

    Biden’s comments come after his National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday that representatives from several parties — although not Gaza’s rulers Hamas — met in Paris over the weekend and reached an understanding about the “basic contours” of a temporary ceasefire.

    Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 29,782 people in Gaza since October 7, mostly women and children, according to the ministry.

    dk/ssy

    © Agence France-Presse

  • US Welcomes Palestinian Authority Reform After PM Quits

    US Welcomes Palestinian Authority Reform After PM Quits

    The United States on Monday praised reforms by the Palestinian Authority as a step toward reuniting the West Bank with war-ravaged Gaza after the prime minister stepped down.

    “We do welcome steps for the PA to reform and revitalize itself,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, using the Palestinian Authority’s initials.

    Miller said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had encouraged the Palestinian Authority “to take those steps” during talks with president Mahmud Abbas.

    “We think those steps are positive. We think they’re an important step to achieving a reunited Gaza and West Bank under the Palestinian Authority,” Miller said.

    He declined to comment directly on the resignation of prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, saying it was an internal matter for Palestinians.

    Shtayyeh submitted his resignation to 88-year-old Abbas, pointing to the need for change due to the “new reality” in the Gaza Strip, ruled by rivals Hamas.

    Israel launched a relentless military campaign into Gaza after Hamas on October 7 carried out the deadliest attack ever on Israeli soil.

    The Palestinian leadership has been divided since 2007, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited power in the West Bank.

    Blinken has called for the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority to exert control over the Gaza Strip after the war, an idea that has not been met with enthusiasm from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government, which has voiced opposition to creating a Palestinian state.

  • Arab states tell UN court Israeli occupation is ‘affront to justice’

    Arab states tell UN court Israeli occupation is ‘affront to justice’

    The League of Arab States on Monday called Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories an “affront to international justice”, saying failure to end it amounted to “genocide”.

    The International Court of Justice entered its last day of week-long hearings after a request from the United Nations, with an unprecedented 52 countries giving their views on Israel’s occupation.

    “This prolonged occupation is an affront to international justice,” the 22 Arab-country bloc’s representative told judges in The Hague.

    “The failure to bring it to an end has led to the current horrors perpetrated against the Palestinian people, amounting to genocide,” Abdel Hakim El-Rifai said, reading a written statement.

    Most speakers during the hearings have demanded that Israel end its occupation, which came after a six-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967.

    But last week the United States said Israel should not be legally obliged to withdraw without taking its “very real security needs” into account.

    Speakers on Monday warned a prolonged occupation posed an “extreme danger” to stability in the Middle East and beyond.

    “If left unchecked, it runs the risk of not only threatening regional, but also global peace and security,” Turkey’s representative Ahmet Yildiz said.

    Zambia’s representative however told judges that both sides had a duty to negotiate a peaceful settlement.

    “Both Israel and Palestine have a duty to respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” Marshal Mubambe Muchende said.

    He said any settlement of the conflict should not be “one that puts the blame squarely on one party, but rather one that advances a negotiated solution which culminates in a two-state solution”.

    ‘Prejudicial’

    The UN has asked the ICJ to hand down an “advisory opinion” on the “legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”.

    The court will probably deliver its opinion before the end of the year but it is not binding on anyone.

    Israel is not taking part in the oral hearings. It submitted a written contribution, in which it described the questions the court had been asked as “prejudicial” and “tendentious”.

    The hearings began a week ago with three hours of testimony from Palestinian officials, who accused the Israeli occupiers of running a system of “colonialism and apartheid”.

    The case before the court is separate from one brought by South Africa against Israel for alleged genocide during its current offensive in Gaza.

    In that case, the ICJ ruled that Israel should do everything in its power to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and allow in humanitarian aid.

    Israeli’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has so far killed at least 29,782 people, most of them women and children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

    jhe/rlp

    © Agence France-Presse

  • Gold price increases by Rs700 to Rs215,800 per tola

    Gold price increases by Rs700 to Rs215,800 per tola

    In a notable shift in the precious metals market, the price of 24-karat gold in Pakistan exhibited an increase of Rs700 per tola, reaching Rs215,800 on Monday.

    This surge follows the closing price of Rs215,100 on the last trading day, Saturday.

    The price adjustment was not exclusive to tola measurements; the cost of 10 grammes of 24-karat gold also experienced an uptick, rising by Rs600 to Rs185,014 from its previous value of Rs184,414.

    Similarly, 22-karat gold saw an increase in its 10-gramme price, climbing to Rs169,596 from Rs169,046, as reported by the All Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association.

    Contrary to the movement in gold prices, the rates for silver remained consistent. The cost of one tola and ten grammes of silver held steady at Rs2,570 and Rs2,203.36, respectively.

    Internationally, the gold market displayed a contrasting trend, witnessing a decrease of $02, with the new rate standing at $2,054, down from $2,056, according to the association’s findings.

    Meanwhile, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) recorded a week of positive trends and increased business activities. Investors demonstrated optimism regarding political stability following the general elections on February 8.

    As the business week concluded, the KSE-100 index closed at an impressive 62,815 points, reflecting a gain of 2,943 points, or 4.92 per cent.

    The index had reached its peak during the week, showcasing investor confidence in the anticipated political stability post-elections.

  • PPP’s Murad Ali Shah elected as CM Sindh for third time

    PPP’s Murad Ali Shah elected as CM Sindh for third time

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Murad Ali Shah has been elected as the chief minister of Sindh for the third consecutive time on Monday afternoon.

    Shah previously served as the chief executive of Sindh from 2016 to 2018 and then again from 2018 to 2023.

    Today, the election for the province’s chief executive began after a half-hour delay via open ballot, with those supporting the PPP’s Shah and MQMP’s Ali Khurshidi directed to go right and left of the assembly hall, respectively.

    A total of 148 members of the provincial assembly took part in the electoral process, with Murad Ali Shah securing 112 votes to become the 25th chief minister of Sindh. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) Ali Khurshidi was in competition with newly-elected chief minister Murad Ali Shah.

    On the other hand, MQM-P leader Abdul Waseem congratulated Murad Ali Shah on becoming CM Sindh.

    “We all need to respect the elected members and resolve the problems. I hope Murad Ali Shah will live up to people’s expectations,” he said.

  • West Bank government submits resignation to President Abbas

    West Bank government submits resignation to President Abbas

    The Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, says he has submitted his government’s resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas.

    Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Monday that he had handed his West Bank government’s resignation to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

    Shtayyeh added that he resigned last Tuesday but handed in the written resignation on Monday.

    What the Palestinian prime minister said

    “I submit the government’s resignation to Mr. President,” Shtayyeh said. He added that it came in the wake of the “developments related to the aggression against the Gaza Strip and the escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”

    Shtayyeh said he was resigning to allow Palestinians to form a broad consensus among Palestinians about political arrangements amid Israel’s war against Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, in Gaza.

    The US has been pressuring Abbas to shake up the Palestinian Authority, which rules parts of the occupied West Bank. This comes amid international efforts to stop the war and work toward a political structure to govern Gaza afterward.

    Abbas has yet to accept the resignation, and he may ask the Palestinian prime minister to stay in the role until a replacement is found.

    In a statement to the Cabinet, Shtayyeh said the next stage would “require new governmental and political arrangements that take into account the emerging reality in the Gaza Strip, the national unity talks, and the urgent need for an inter-Palestinian consensus.”

    He added that “the extension of the [Palestinian] Authority’s authority over the entire land, Palestine,” is another requirement.

    The Palestinian Authority lost control over the Gaza Strip following a struggle with Hamas in 2007. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States, and Israel.

  • Maryam Nawaz takes oath as CM Punjab

    Maryam Nawaz takes oath as CM Punjab

    The newly-elected Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, took the oath of office after being elected as the first female chief executive of the province.

    The ceremony took place at Punjab Governor House in Lahore, where Governor Punjab Baligh Ur Rehman administered the oath.

    Maryam’s father, Nawaz Sharif and uncle Shehbaz Sharif, both former Prime Ministers, were present on the occasion.

  • ‘It’s none of your business’; Nadia Khan slams comments on celebrity weddings

    ‘It’s none of your business’; Nadia Khan slams comments on celebrity weddings

    Actress Nadia Khan often shares videos on her YouTube channel about her daily life. Recently, she posted a vlog about actress Arisha Razi’s wedding. However, comments on the vlog criticized Arisha for dancing at her own wedding, with some users questioning her choice, given her background as a child star in the Pakistani showbiz industry.

    Nadia Khan was NOT happy with the trolls.

    She warned her followers on Instagram that she’ll block anyone who posts negative comments on her photos or videos. “When I shared Arisha’s wedding video, some comments really upset me. It was her wedding; she can dance if she likes.” Nadia reminded viewers that her channel is only for positive people. “If you disrespect others, you’ll be blocked,” the Queen said.

  • Ali Amin Gandapur to contest independently for CM KP position

    Ali Amin Gandapur to contest independently for CM KP position

    Ali Amin Gandapur, a prominent leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and perhaps the next Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), has opted out of joining the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).

    Instead, he has chosen to contest independently for the top provincial post, backed by PTI members aligned with the SIC, as reported by The News on Monday.

    Following general elections, independent winners supported by PTI from KP have affiliated themselves with the SIC to secure designated seats for women and religious minority representatives.

    However, Gandapur, who secured victory from Dera Ismail Khan, will pursue the PTI’s provincial presidency and is actively involved in the party’s intra-party elections scheduled for March 3, having submitted his nomination papers accordingly.

    In parallel, Ali Asghar, another PTI member, has submitted his papers for the position of provincial general secretary, while Aqibullah Khan, nominated by PTI and the brother of senior leader Asad Qaiser, will compete for a KP Assembly office position under the SIC banner.

    The announcement of KP cabinet members is pending final approval from PTI’s founding chairman, Imran Khan, following extensive consultations. Additionally, the PTI is deliberating over several candidates for the deputy speaker position, with the chosen individual’s identity expected to be disclosed imminently.

    On the opposition front, parties have resolved not to concede ground to PTI and have declared intentions to nominate candidates for chief minister, speaker, and deputy speaker roles. The opposition plans to finalize consensus candidates following an imminent meeting.

    Abdul Jalil Jan, the spokesperson for Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), confirmed that neither Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nor Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have initiated talks with their party regarding the election of KP Assembly officials.

    With the inaugural session of the KP Assembly scheduled for February 28, the assembly will witness the swearing-in of newly elected members, followed by the election of the speaker, deputy speaker, and chief minister.

    Meanwhile, Ali Amin Gandapur expressed his commitment to democratic principles and serving the people during interactions with elected members, party workers, and various stakeholders.

    He expressed these views during meetings with the members-elect of the national and provincial assemblies, party workers and people from different walks of life, including scholars and lawyers, at the Speaker’s House.

    Gandapur spoke about improving the province’s law and order situation as well as adding health cards, langar khana, shelter homes and police reforms would be restored. He said that the people would be provided with a uniform education system, while the lack of resources would not be a hurdle in the completion of this great mission.

  • Maryam Nawaz set to become Punjab’s First female CM today

    Maryam Nawaz set to become Punjab’s First female CM today

    The Punjab Assembly will likely elect new a chief minister of the province today (Monday). Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz is expected become CM Punjab as her party has the majority in provincial assembly after February 8 elections.
    Maryam Nawaz will be the first female chief minister of the province in history.
    The session has been summoned to meet at 11am and will be presided by newly-elected Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan.
    The PML-N has support of 224 MPAs in the provincial assembly.

    The candidate fielded by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Aftab Ahmad Khan, who is a senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has the support of 103 MPAs. Maryam will face him as her opponent.
    Aftab has served as a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA thrice in the Punjab Assembly in 1988, 1993 and 2002. He joined PTI in 2013 and is now serving his fourth term.