58 die including 21 passengers in Pakistani army blitz on hijacked train

Today's news: Faisalabad, Lahore and Colombo among cities most vulnerable to flooding: +300%; A new 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on the negotiating table; Construction of a road bridge between North Korea and Russia has begun; Armenia and India have signed two memoranda on diplomatic and health cooperation.

PAKISTAN

The tragic death toll of the kidnapping of the train with 440 passengers on board is 58 - 21 passengers, 33 assailants and four soldiers. The operation was carried out on Tuesday by the Liberation Army of Beluchistan and ended yesterday with an assault by the Pakistani armed forces. In an official statement, they pointed the finger at Afghanistan, claiming that during the attack groups of militants in Afghanistan maintained contact with the assailants via satellite phones. The train arrived today at the station in Qetta, the original destination of the journey.

ASIA - PAKISTAN - SRI LANKA

A report by the NGO WaterAid with contributions from the universities of Bristol and Cardiff has shown that 15% of the 112 most populous cities in the world are facing both floods and droughts, a phenomenon known as ‘climatic whiplash’. The Pakistani cities of Faisalabad and Lahore, together with Colombo in Sri Lanka, are among the most vulnerable, with a 300% increase in flooding events compared to previous decades. Since 1985, rainfall has increased by 42% and sewage systems meet only 35% of urban needs.

ISRAEL - GAZA

The negotiations mediated between Israel and Hamas continue in Doha, with the United States proposing to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and the release of 10 Israeli prisoners still alive on the table. Meanwhile, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem welcomed the apparent withdrawal of US President Donald Trump from his proposal to move more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan. The statement came after Trump said: ‘Nobody is expelling Palestinians from Gaza’.

NORTH KOREA - RUSSIA

Construction has begun on a road bridge that will connect North Korea and Russia over the Tumen River, which separates the two countries. This is proven by South Korean satellite images. It would be the first road bridge between these two allies, allowing the transit of lorries and buses for the transport of goods and people. Currently, there is already a railway bridge. According to experts, once completed, the bridge could encourage trade and tourism in North Korea and possibly increase Moscow's influence in the region.

TAIWAN

A Taiwanese actor, arrested in February for trying to avoid compulsory military service, has now started his military service. Darren Wang, famous for his role in the 2015 comedy Our Times, had used falsified medical documents. All men in Taiwan must perform one year of compulsory military service. In 2022, the government increased the duration from four months to one year, citing growing threats from China. In the last few hours, the president of Taiwan has again warned of Beijing's attempt at ‘infiltration’ and promises countermeasures.

ARMENIA - INDIA

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and India, Ararat Mirzoyan and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, signed two collaboration memoranda in Yerevan, one for the joint training of diplomatic personnel and the second for the approval of medicines and healthcare technologies, involving the standards control centres of the two countries.

CHINA

Haidilao, China's largest hotpot chain, has offered compensation to over 4,000 customers who visited one of its branches in Shanghai, where two teenagers urinated in the boiling broth. A video showing the boys doing so during a dinner in a private room went viral last month. The police stated that the two 17-year-olds, who were drunk at the time of the incident, were arrested shortly afterwards. Haidilao apologised to its customers, stating that the staff on duty had not been able to stop the boys.

TURKMENISTAN

In the cities of Turkmenistan, the cash shortage is back, as has already happened several times in recent years, and the cash machines remain closed in the velayats of Mari and Lebap. In Ashgabat they only issue 800 manat a day, creating kilometre-long queues for those trying to withdraw their salary, but only 20% succeed before the block.