World
Pakistan Bombing Raises Fears Over Security Breach, 100 Dead
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani authorities were scrambling on Tuesday to figure out how a suicide bomber could carry out one of the country’s deadliest militant attacks in years, exploding in a crowded mosque inside a heavily fortified police compound in Peshawar. The death toll from the explosion has risen to 100.
At least 225 people were hurt in the bombing on Monday morning, which made officials worry about a major security breach at a time when the Pakistani Taliban, the main anti-government militant group, has been stepping up attacks, especially on police and the military.
Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said that the Pakistani Taliban, also known by their acronym TTP, attacked a televised speech to parliament on Tuesday. He said that they were running their operations from Afghan territory next door and asked the Afghan Taliban to do something about them. At first, a TTP commander took the blame, but later, a TTP spokesman distanced the group from the violence by saying that it was not the TTP’s policy to attack mosques.
Officials said the bomber detonated his explosives vest as more than 300 worshippers were praying in the Sunni mosque, with more on their way. According to Zafar Khan, a police officer, the blast blew off part of the roof, and what was left caved in, injuring many more.
Rescuers worked all night and into Tuesday morning to clear away piles of rubble so they could reach worshippers who were stuck under it. The death toll rose as more bodies were discovered, and several critically injured people died, according to Mohammad Asim, a government hospital spokesman in Peshawar.
According to him, the majority of the victims were police officers.
Pakistan Police Are Looking Into How The Bomber Got Inside
Police are looking into how the bomber got into the mosque inside a walled-off police headquarters compound called Police Lines. The compound is in Peshawar’s high-security district, which houses other government buildings.
“Yes, it was a security lapse,” said Ghulam Ali, the provincial governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar’s capital.
Former regional interior secretary Akhtar Ali Shah, based in Peshawar then, said the attack “was not a spur-of-the-moment attack.”
“It was the work of a well-organized group,” he said, according to The Associated Press. He said that the people who did the attack needed help from insiders to get into the compound and that they probably went in there more than once to keep an eye on things or to put bombs there ahead of time.
“It’s a security breach, not a security lapse,” he explained. “There are multiple layers of security you must cross from all entry points,” with ID checks.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told parliament that investigators believe the bomber was assisted by someone from the families of government employees who live in the compound near the mosque. He stated that 97 of the 100 people killed were police officers and that 27 officers were still in critical condition.
97 Of The 100 People Were Police Officers
The military’s media wing turned down an interview request for the chief of army staff. Asim Munir, who took office in November, has yet to appear in the media.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party’s provincial secretary-general, Kamran Bangash, blamed the insecurity on Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government.
“The government has failed to improve the economy and law and order situation,” he said, adding that it should resign to pave the way for snap parliamentary elections. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the party’s leader, condemned the attack.
Pakistan is in the middle of a political and economic crisis because of a disputed election and floods last summer that killed 1,739 people, destroyed more than 2 million homes, and flooded up to a third of the country. The bombing happened at the same time.
After the bombing, Sharif went to a hospital in Peshawar and said that those who did it would face “stern action.” He dismissed criticism of his government on Tuesday and called for unity. “My message to all political forces is unity in the face of anti-Pakistan elements. “We can fight our political battles later,” he said on Twitter.
In a tweet shortly after the explosion, Pakistan Taliban commander Sarbakaf Mohmand claimed responsibility for the attack.
Taliban Has Not Taken Responsibility
Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the TTP, said a few hours later that it was not the group’s policy to attack mosques, seminaries, and other religious sites, and that anyone who did so could be punished by TTP policy. He did not explain why a TTP commander claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Pakistan, predominantly Sunni Muslim, has seen an increase in militant attacks since the Pakistani Taliban brokered a cease-fire with government forces in November.
The Pakistani Taliban are the main group of militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and Peshawar has been attacked many times.attacks. In 2014, a Pakistani Taliban faction attacked an army-run school in Peshawar, killing 154 people, most of whom were children.
However, in recent years, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, a regional affiliate of the Islamic State group and a rival of the Taliban, has been behind deadly attacks in Pakistan. Overall, violence has increased since the Afghan Taliban seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021, following the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the country after 20 years of war.
So Many Lives Lost
The TTP is distinct from but close to, the Afghan Taliban. It has been fighting an insurgency in Pakistan for the past 15 years, demanding stricter enforcement of Islamic laws, the release of its members detained by the government, and a reduction in Pakistani military presence in areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where it has long been based.
Earlier this month, the Pakistani Taliban claimed that one of its members shot and killed two intelligence officers, including the director of the Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency’s counterterrorism wing. According to security officials, the gunman was killed in a shootout near the Afghan border.
The Taliban-run Afghan Foreign Ministry expressed “sadness” that “numerous people lost their lives” in Peshawar and condemned attacks on worshippers contrary to Islamic teachings.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in the Middle East, tweeted his condolences, calling the Peshawar bombing a “horrific attack.”
“Terrorism for any reason and in any location is indefensible,” he said.
SOURCE – (AP)
Angry protesters pelted Felipe VI of Spain with mud and other objects during a visit to flood-hit Valencia. Spain’s national broadcaster reported that two bodyguards were treated for injuries.
Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia, Spain’s prime minister, and other leaders were met with shouts of “murderer” and “shame” as they traversed the town of Paiporta, which is one of the most severely afflicted in the region.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia were later observed offering comfort to individuals in the throng despite being covered in mud on their faces and clothing.
The floods, which were the most severe in Spain in decades, resulted in the deaths of over 200 individuals. In the hopes of locating survivors and recovering corpses, emergency personnel are still working to search underground car parks and tunnels.
In response to the floods, there has been a wave of resentment toward the authorities for their perceived failure to provide adequate support and warning.
The king was observed walking down a pedestrian street when a sudden surge of demonstrators who hurled insults and screamed, causing his bodyguards and police to be immediately overwhelmed.
Some of the demonstrators threw mud and objects, which made it difficult for them to maintain a protective ring around the monarch.
Angry flood survivors hurl mud and insults at Spain’s King Felipe VI during Valencia visit.
Felipe VI of Spain Greets Mob
Images depicted the king, queen, and entourage, who held canopies over the monarch as they departed, with mud on their faces and clothing.
During the visit, the royal couple was accompanied by Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the president of the Valencian regional government, Carlos Mazón. However, they were promptly evacuated as the crowd became increasingly hostile.
The BBC has verified footage that appears to depict stones being thrown at Sánchez’s vehicle as he was driven away, while Spanish media reports that objects were hurled at him.
The audience chanted, “Where is Sánchez?” after he departed.
“I am only 16,” Pau said, his eyes welling with tears. “We are assisting, but the leaders are not acting.” People are still dying. I am unable to endure this any longer.
Another woman stated, “They abandoned us to our deaths.” We have forfeited everything: our homes, enterprises, and aspirations.
A subsequent observation revealed that the civil guard and mounted officers endeavored to disperse the irate throng.
People clean mud from a shop affected by floods in Valencia, Spain.
Severe Flooding in Valencia province
The royal entourage intended to continue their journey to Chiva, another community in the Valencia province severely affected by the flooding. However, this visit has been postponed.
In a subsequent video on the royal household’s Instagram account, the monarch expressed his comprehension of the protestors’ “angry and frustration.”
Maribel Albalat, the mayor of Paiporta, said that she was astonished by the violence but also acknowledged the “frustration and desperation of the people.”
Juan Bordera, a Valencian parliamentarian, characterized the king’s visit as “an extremely poor decision.”
Mr. Bordera told the BBC authorities “didn’t heed any warnings.”
“It is logical that the people are angry, and it is logical that the people did not comprehend the urgency of this visit,” he continued.
Sánchez directed the deployment of 10,000 additional police officers, civil guards, and soldiers to the region on Saturday.
He stated that the deployment was the highest in Spain’s history during peacetime. However, he also acknowledged that the response was “insufficient” and that there were “severe issues and shortages.”
Spain searches for bodies after unprecedented flooding claims at least 200 lives.
Over 200 Killed in Flooding
The inundation began on Tuesday following a period of heavy rainfall. Floodwaters caused bridges to collapse and cities to be engulfed in a thick layer of mud. Numerous communities lacked water, electricity, food, and other fundamental services.
The mortality toll from the flooding reached 217 on Sunday, and it is believed that many more individuals are still missing.
The Valencia region on the Mediterranean coast has been the site of nearly all of the confirmed fatalities thus far.
Certain regions have been particularly devastated. Today, the royal delegation visited Paiporta, a municipality where authorities have reported a minimum of 62 fatalities.
On Sunday, the Spanish meteorological agency AEMET issued the maximum alert level for certain areas of southern Valencia, including Alzira, Cullera, and Gandia.
The agency warned that the intensity of the cyclones expected to pass through the region will not be comparable to Tuesday’s. It anticipates a total of 90mm (3.45 inches) of precipitation.
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At Least 95 People Die In Flash Floods In Spain
Global oil prices are plummeting after Israel launched a retaliatory strike over the weekend that targeted Iranian military locations rather than its energy infrastructure, as had been anticipated.
Crude oil prices rose globally on October 2 after Iran launched roughly 200 missiles into Israel as part of a series of fast-increasing attacks between Israel, Iran, and its Arab allies that threatened to bring the Middle East closer to a regional war.
Iran is the world’s seventh-largest oil producer, but a bigger crisis in the Middle East may have an impact on the region’s largest energy producers.
Oil Prices Fall As Reality Of Weak Global Demand Overtakes Risk Of Wider War In Middle East
With many believing that the threat is receding in the short term, the price of benchmark U.S. crude and Brent crude, the worldwide benchmark, fell 6% on Monday. U.S. crude oil plunged well below $70 per barrel.
The Israeli military stated that its aircraft targeted Iranian facilities used to manufacture missiles fired at Israel, as well as surface-to-air missile installations.
Here’s a look at the current status and prospects for oil and gas prices:
The price of U.S. benchmark petroleum fell 6% Monday after Israel’s weekend retaliation strike on Iran targeted military targets rather than oilfields in the world’s seventh largest producer of crude.
This brings the price of a barrel of U.S. crude well below $70 after it rose above $77 earlier this month. Oil and gasoline prices have fallen dramatically since their yearly highs in April. According to energy specialists, more than half of the pumps in the United States sell a gallon of petrol for less than $3.
The focus has shifted back to the fundamentals of global energy markets, which have seen plentiful supply and falling demand this year. Slowing economic growth in China, the world’s largest energy consumer is a major cause.
Beijing announced that China’s economy grew at a 4.6% annual rate in the July-September quarter, down from 4.7% the previous quarter and falling short of the official aim of “about 5%” growth in 2024.
The Middle East war continues to roil energy markets, albeit not as dramatically.
Prices spiked momentarily this month after Iran launched missiles into Israel, but many experts believe Israel’s response over the weekend was moderate, potentially ending a cycle of retaliatory strikes from both sides, at least for now.
The OPEC+ coalition, which includes members of the producer’s cartel as well as ally countries such as Russia, wields less control over world pricing than in the 1970s when an oil embargo following the start of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 doubled crude oil prices.
Since then, the global oil supply has shifted dramatically, with the United States emerging as the world’s top producer. Months of conflict between Israel and two Iranian proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, did little to raise oil prices for OPEC and its 12 member countries. Only the prospect of a direct conflict between Israel and Iran shifted the needle.
It is the fundamentals.
The long-term expectation is that oil prices will fall rather than rise. This is due to a shift in the supply-demand balance, which normally causes oil prices to fall.
According to the International Energy Agency’s most recent energy market assessment, oil demand in the first half of this year increased by the least amount since 2020. Meanwhile, supplies have continued to rise, and the OPEC+ alliance has announced intentions to release more oil into the market beginning in December.
What’s happening with energy prices this year?
Oil futures soared sharply to start the year, reaching $85 per barrel in April, but it’s been mostly downhill since then, and gas prices have followed suit.
Because oil costs half of a gallon of gasoline in the United States, gas prices are loosely correlated. Between Friday and Monday, when Israel conducted a measured counterstrike against Iran, the price of a barrel of oil fell $4.
OPEC has failed to build a floor for oil prices this year.
Oil Prices Fall As Reality Of Weak Global Demand Overtakes Risk Of Wider War In Middle East
Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing countries extended output cutbacks until June next year, seeking to preserve low oil prices that have yet to recover despite Middle Eastern turbulence and this year’s summer travel season.
At the same time, the United States is pumping an unprecedented amount of petroleum. The United States Energy Information Administration predicts that the average daily crude oil output in the United States will be 13.2 million barrels annually, with production only expected to increase in 2025.
What’s next for oil and gas prices?
Several energy experts believe that oil prices have peaked this year and will continue to fall, implying that motorists will benefit from additional discounts.
“Limited nature of Israeli strikes against Iran should diminish fears of wider war and shave some of the geopolitical premium on crude oil,” said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service, in a social media post this weekend. “Today’s U.S. retail gas avg is $3.13/gal with 55% of sites priced at less than $3/gal.”
SOURCE | AP
A recreational substance termed “pink cocaine” is gaining popularity and causing misunderstanding because it does not normally include cocaine.
The pink powder, which is actually a mix of other narcotics tinted pink, has been discovered in drug seizures, forcing law authorities to issue warnings.
Pink cocaine is also known as “tusi,” however both nicknames are based on marketing rather than fact. According to experts, it rarely contains cocaine and is more likely to contain ketamine, which has quite distinct effects.
What Is The Recreational Drug ‘Pink Cocaine’?
Why is it pink?
Pink cocaine gets its pink tint from food coloring or dye, according to Joseph Palamar, a drug trends researcher at NYU Langone Health in New York.
“Sometimes it has cocaine in the mix, but it’s typically more of a ketamine concoction,” says Palamar. Studies have discovered batches containing methamphetamine, MDMA, bath salts, caffeine, and opiates.
“It’s a concoction that anyone can make if they have a couple of drugs and a pink dye,” Palamar told reporters.
According to research released last year by Palamar, the term “tusi” may have been coined to emulate 2C-B, a recreational drug popular on the rave scene in the 1990s and noted for its euphoric effects. The drug analyses that Palamar evaluated revealed that tusi did not often include 2C-B.
According to him, young people nowadays may be unaware of the history of the name tusi and may be confused by the name pink cocaine.
“It’s just some beautiful powder that their pals are using. “They probably have no idea what it is supposed to be,” he explained.
Why is pink cocaine dangerous?
The threat stems from the unknown contents. Users may have undesirable side effects or take more than their previous experience indicates they can handle. Ketamine is a potent anesthetic that has been licensed for surgical usage, but it has also been used recreationally and to treat depression, anxiety, and pain in recent years. It has the potential to produce hallucinations as well as interfere with breathing and cardiac function.
What Is The Recreational Drug ‘Pink Cocaine’?
“Ketamine is not a fun drug to most people,” Palamar stated. “It kind of puts you in your own little world and things tend to feel very alien when you’re on it, especially in large doses.”
Someone who is drunk at a party and believes cocaine may counteract the effects of alcohol will be unpleasantly startled with pink cocaine, which is primarily ketamine, he added.
Where does pink cocaine come from?
In May, the United States Coast Guard reported seizing pink cocaine and other drugs off the shores of Mexico, Central and South America.
“That was the first time that I heard of large batches being imported into the U.S. as tusi,” Palamar told me. It might just as easily be created by drug dealers in the United States who mix their own, he claimed.
SOURCE | AP
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