RjNews

A Palestinian medic tends to premature babies evacuated from Al Shifa Hospital to the Emirates hospital in Rafah, on Sunday.—AFP • ‘Minor’ challenges to agreement to free some prisoners, says Qatari PM • 31 premature babies evacuated from Al Shifa Hospital • Hamas fighters battle Israeli forces trying to push into Jabalia camp DOHA: Hamas fighters battled Israeli forces trying to push into Gaza’s largest refugee camp on Sunday, but despite the fighting, US, Qatari and Israeli officials said a deal to free some of the prisoners being held in the besieged enclave was edging closer. Separately, a top health official said all 31 premature babies at Al Shifa Hospital had been evacuated on Sunday from the facility. A deal to free some of the about 240 prisoners Hamas seized in its Oct 7 attack on Israel now hinges on “minor” practical issues, Qatar’s prime minister said on Sunday, without giving details or a timeline. “The challenges that remain in the negotiations are very minor c...

SAN FRANCISCO: Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla, SpaceX and social platform X, came under fire from all sides this week after endorsing an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory and then — in an ostensible attempt at damage control — terming phrases associated with the Palestinian cause “euphemisms that imply genocide”. On Wednesday, the world’s richest man sparked outrage by endorsing an antisemitic post on X that falsely claimed that members of the Jewish community were stoking hatred against white people. The original post was perceived as a reference to a longtime conspiracy theory among White supremacists that Jews have a secret plan to bring in illegal immigrants to weaken white majorities. Most notoriously, the idea was promoted by the man who carried out a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, killing 11 people. In attempt to cover for his anti-Semitic opinions, X owner terms pro-Palestine slogans ‘euphemisms for genocide’ This prompted a sharp rebuke...

KARACHI / ISLAMABAD: Mystery shrouds a purported appeal by the Sindh government — challenging the Supreme Court decision to strike down military trials of civilians under the Pakistan Army Act 1952 — after the caretaker provincial government distanced itself from the development on Saturday. The statement from the CM House came two days after it was reported that an appeal had landed in the Supreme Court on behalf of the provincial government. The current status of the appeal is “infructuous”. According to a statement issued by the CM’s House on Saturday, “The caretaker Sindh government has clarified that appeal in ‘Trial of Civilians before Military Courts’ case has not been filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.” A letter penned by the Sindh advocate general on Nov 17 informed the principal secretary to the chief minister, the caretaker provincial law minister, and the law and parliamentary affairs secretary that no appeal in the said matter was filed. Sources told Dawn that t...

• Israeli military ‘found nothing’ during searches of hospital complex, doctor says • Gaza City’s last functioning hospital also closes surgery • WHO wants patients in enclave moved to Egypt GAZA STRIP: The Gaza health ministry said on Friday that 24 patients at a hospital in the war-torn enclave had died within 48 hours due to power outages, as Israeli forces searched the complex for Hamas hideouts. The situation was dire at the Al-Shifa hospital, the largest in Gaza, which Israel’s army said it was searching for a third day for suspected hideouts of fighters from the Hamas’ armed wing. The Israeli military claimed on Thursday it had uncovered a Hamas tunnel shaft and a vehicle with weapons at the Al Shifa hospital complex. Hamas rejects an Israeli charge that it has a command centre at the hospital, packed with patients and displaced people and struggling to keep operating, has become a focus of global concern. The hospital also denies the claim. “Twenty-four patients… have di...

Ziauddin • Annual change in SPI crosses 40pc for first time since early June • Gas charges rocket 1,100pc year on year ISLAMABAD: A massive increase in gas prices drove the annual short-term inflation to above 40 per cent for the first time in over four months, official data showed on Friday. The inflation reading stood at 41.9pc for the week ending Nov 16, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said, mainly because of over 1,100pc increase in gas charges compared to a year ago. Other items whose prices increased the most included cigarettes (94.5pc), wheat flour (86.4pc), chilli powder (81.7pc), broken basmati rice (76.7pc), garlic (63.6pc), IRRI 6/9 rice (61.9pc), tea (54.6pc), gur (51pc), and sugar (50pc). In contrast, the prices of onions dropped 36.2pc year-on-year, followed by tomatoes (-14pc), mustard oil (-3.95pc), vegetable ghee (-2pc) and pulse gram (-0.5pc). The short-term inflation, measured by a basket of goods and services called the Sensitive Price Indicato...

• Govt cites high interest rates as it postpones issuance of $1.5bn international bond • Caretaker minister hints at new Fund programme after elections • Says another gas price hike slated for January ISLAMABAD: The government has deferred its plans to issue a $1.5 billion international bond, Caretaker Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar said on Thursday, stressing that the country will have to go for more IMF loan programmes for some time as the economy remains fragile. Her remarks came a day after the government reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund on a nine-month bailout package. During a press briefing, Dr Akhtar outlined key aspects of the IMF agreement, affirming the government’s commitment to regular tariff adjustments, including a planned gas price hike in January to prevent the accumulation of circular debt in both the gas and power sectors. The electricity and gas rates would be “continuously revised” and their costs controlled besides tran...

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released the statement of assets and liabilities of the caretaker prime minister and his cabinet members, showing that caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar was not a rich man, even in his hometown in Balochistan. The former member of the upper house has inherited 20 acres of land in the Kila Saifullah area, and only has 100 shares in a mining company valued at Rs50,000. His spouse has 10 tola gold and jewellery, his household items are worth Rs400,000 and Mr Kakar does not own any vehicle or business outside the country, as per his statement submitted to the ECP. However, the caretaker PM has Rs47.72 million cash in hand or in banks. The other key cabinet member from Balochistan, coming from a strong tribal family, is Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti. He owns 90 camels, 8,870 sheep, 4,060 goats, 400 cows, 80 bulls and 86 buffaloes — all inherited — and their worth was around Rs7bn. His cash holding was around Rs7.4...