International News
Biden-Speak lost in transit to Pakistan

Exaggeration and dramatics are Pakistans traits. So, it is hardly surprising when a fleeting, off-the-cuff remark of US President Joe Biden was greeted with hysteria.
The US envoy in Islamabad was summoned for a dressing down at the Foreign Office. Political parties vied with each other in denouncing Biden for describing Pakistan as one of the “most dangerous nations” in the world.
These theatrics looked like a bad joke because for the past few months Pakistan has been sending its senior ministers and the Army Chief to Washington for “resetting ties”.
The US has since issued a clarification on Biden’s statement which said nothing about the country being among the “most dangerous nations”, but expressed satisfaction about Pakistan’s capability to make its nuclear arsenal safe from the hands ofterrorists.
The clarification is an indication of US desire to let bygones be bygones and not to continue with the controversy over the safety of Pakistani nukes. the fourth largest in the world.
Like always, the naive Americans have conveniently overlooked the fact that while the Pakistan army may have the keys to the nuclear stockpile, many Pakistani scientists working on its nuclear programme (as also the middle order in the Army) are sympathetic to Islamists and their extreme views.
In fact, soon after the US invasion of Afghanistan at least two top pro-Taliban nuclear scientists of Pakistan were sacked to please the White House. Pertinent to point out that America’s inability not to look beyond the nose is paving the way for Pakistan’s exit from the ‘grey list of the FATF, the UN agency on money laundering and terrorism financing.
The number of religious extremists in the Pakistan army can be assumed to be large. For one thing, the so-called professional army of Pakistan has Jihad in its curriculum. A clearer indication has come from the on-going tussle between former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the establishment, which is a euphemism for the GHQ. Although Khan is depicted as a critic of the army the fact is that he has problem only with the top brass.
Reports in public domain say middle level officers and the soldiers are pro-Imran because of his anti-American rhetoric. Some of these officers would soon be elevated to higher posts and be able to have a decisive say in matters that the army decides, including the destiny of the civilian rulers.
It is not difficult to guess as to whether the promotion of the pro-jihad army officers would make Pakistan less or more ‘dangerous’. It will certainly mean a step closer to Islamisation of Pakistan Army, a project initiated by dictator, Zia-ul-Haq, in the wake of Afghan jihad against the Soviet Army, and in pursuit of his own plan to make India bleed for its sin of facilitating the Bengali speaking East Pakistan emerge as a sovereign Bangladesh.
Pakistan appeared to be wilting after ties with the US had plummeted to the bottom, following 9/11 but it was a short phase. Because, post-pullout of Afghanistan with bruised ego, the US has begun to again see Pakistan as an indispensible ally in the region. Mending fences with the ‘epicentre of global terrorism’ (Pakistan) has again become US priority with or without the Biden guffaw.
The US overtures are eagerly awaited by Pakistan even as anti-Americanism thrived in the country, especially after the former cricketer became the Prime Minister. He has since been ousted but anti-Americanism has only grown further, somewhat to the embarrassment of the present ruling dispensation, which is willing to walk the extra mile to please Washington and be rewarded with trophies like F-16s.
Imran is very clear in claiming that Pakistan doesn’t need the US because of its all-weather friendship with China. He is going around the country telling the people that the US is keen on befriending Pakistan because of “our influence over the Taliban lords” presiding over the destiny of the Afghans.
The anti-American backlash instigated by Imran is popular but may not threaten the incumbent Shehbaz Sharif regime in the short run at least. It will undoubtedly upset the regime, which wants to restore ties with the US to the old level. It is not sure if total dependence on China will serve Pakistan’s interests. But such is the pressure of public opinion in Pakistan that repairing ties with the US will have to be done cautiously.
The onus of improving mutual ties seems to lie on the US from a Pakistani perspective. And the US appears to share such a perception.
This is clear from the ‘pro-Pakistan statements in two days’, according to a front-page headline in Karachi daily, The News International, on October 20. “The US has in a couple of days issued statements expressing confidence in Pakistan’s commitment and ability to secure its nuclear assets”, the report said and quoted the State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel as saying: “The counterterrorism effort is part of our common interests.”
Put differently, the Biden-Speak that Pakistan “may be one of the most dangerous” countries in the world because it has “nuclear weapons without any cohesion”, is lost in transit. And the hope of US insisting that Pakistan give up its terrorism export as a trade off is lost.
This has led to US looking the other way as nearly bankrupt Pakistan continues to flirt with the India-centric terror outfits, aiding and training them.
For Pakistan it is a signal that the US military aid, frozen by Donald Trump, would be resumed.
Apparently, the US has no second thoughts about sharpening the Pakistan military machine even when it considers the country to be among the ‘most dangerous nations’ in the world. Sounds somewhat strange!
International
Death toll from US airstrikes on Yemeni fuel port rises to 38: Houthis

Sanaa, April 18: The death toll from US overnight airstrikes on the Yemeni fuel port of Ras Isa has increased to 38, with 102 others wounded, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported on Friday, citing Houthi-controlled local health authorities.
According to al-Masirah, the casualties include five paramedics who were killed upon arriving at the scene, when the US military launched another wave of airstrikes on the port just minutes after the first on Thursday night.
More than 14 airstrikes on the fuel port were reported during the two waves, igniting massive fires in tanks storing imported fuel. The fires were extinguished within hours, said the report.
The US Central Command said earlier in a statement that it struck and destroyed the Ras Isa port on Thursday to “eliminate this source of fuel for” and “degrade the economic source of power of” the Houthis, Xinhua news agency reported.
In mid-March, US President Donald Trump ordered “decisive and powerful military action” against the Houthis after the group announced plans to resume attacks on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea, citing Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza as the reason.
Earlier on April 17, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi had said his group had launched 26 attacks against Israel and 33 strikes on the US aircraft carrier and warships in the Red Sea since March 15.
In a televised speech aired by the group’s al-Masirah TV on Thursday, the Houthi leader said the attacks on Israel were carried out using “30 ballistic missiles and drones,” while those targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and its escorts involved “122 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones”.
However, the Israeli military has reportedly intercepted many of the Houthi projectiles before they reached targets, Xinhua news agency reported.
The US Central Command dismissed the Houthi claims of daily attacks on the US aircraft carrier as “outlandish” in a post on the social media platform X.
Meanwhile, the Houthi leader noted that the US military had conducted more than 900 airstrikes against his group’s positions across northern Yemen during the past 30 days.
Tensions between the Houthi group and the US military have escalated since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15 to deter the group from attacking Israel and US warships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, said their attacks aim to press US-backed Israel to stop the offensive against the Gaza Strip and allow humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave.
Israel’s Channel 12 News reported last Saturday that a Yemeni drone was intercepted near the Dead Sea within the Jordanian airspace before it could reach Israel.
The Jordanian army confirmed later last week that an unidentified drone entered Jordanian airspace and crashed in the Ma’in area of Madaba governorate, near the Dead Sea, and no casualties were reported.
Even since Israel renewed its intensive strikes in March across the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have been launching frequent attacks against Israeli and US targets.
Earlier last week, the Houthi military spokesperson claimed fresh attacks against the US aircraft carrier, USS Harry S Truman, and other US warships in the northern Red Sea.
disaster
One dead, 12 infected in Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Sydney

Sydney, April 17: A person has died and 12 others have been infected after contracting Legionnaires’ disease in an outbreak linked to central Sydney, the Department of Health in the Australian state of New South Wales said on Thursday.
There are now 12 confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease in people who spent time in central Sydney between March 13 and April 5, up from the six cases that had been diagnosed as of April 10, the department said.
It said that one of the confirmed cases died in the hospital. Of the 12 reported cases, 11 have been hospitalised for treatment.
NSW Health on Thursday urged anyone who spent time in central Sydney and surrounding areas in late March or early April to be aware of symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, including fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath.
Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by infection with Legionella bacteria, which is found naturally in fresh water. NSW Health said that symptoms can develop up to 10 days after exposure, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Outbreaks sometimes occur when bacteria from environmental sources such as cooling towers atop large buildings become contaminated,” Vicky Sheppeard, director of the southeast Sydney local public health unit, said in a statement.
“NSW Health continues to work closely with the City of Sydney to identify, inspect and sample any cooling towers in the CBD potentially implicated in the outbreak. To date, over 165 cooling towers have been inspected and tested,” she said.
According to the World Health Organisation, the Legionnaires’ disease mortality rate can be as high as 80 per cent in untreated immunosuppressed patients.
Most people catch Legionnaires’ disease by inhaling the bacteria from water or soil. Older adults, smokers, and people with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible to Legionnaires’ disease.
Although Legionnaires’ disease primarily affects the lungs, it occasionally can cause infections in wounds and in other parts of the body, including the heart.
A mild form of Legionnaires’ disease — known as Pontiac fever — can produce fever, chills, headache and muscle aches. Pontiac fever doesn’t infect your lungs, and symptoms usually clear within two to five days.
International
Extreme marine heatwaves tripled over past 80 years: Study

London, April 17: The number of days each year that the world’s oceans experience extreme surface heat has tripled over the past 80 years due to global warming, a new study has found.
Researchers found that, on average, the global sea surface saw about 15 days of extreme heat annually in the 1940s, Xinhua news agency reported.
Today that figure has soared to nearly 50 days per year, revealed the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Global warming is responsible for almost half of the occurrence of marine heatwaves — periods when sea surface temperatures rise well above normal for an extended time.
The study, produced by a team of scientists from the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, the University of Reading, the International Space Science Institute, and the University of the Balearic Islands, also found that rising global temperatures are making extreme ocean heat events last longer and become more intense.
“Marine heatwaves can devastate underwater ecosystems. Extended periods of unusually warm water can kill coral reefs, destroy kelp forests, and harm seagrass meadows,” said Xiangbo Feng, a co-author of the study at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading.
The impacts of marine heat waves extend beyond the ocean. The researcher warns that increased marine heatwaves could, in return, cause our atmosphere less stable leading to more frequent and powerful tropical storms in some regions.
“As global temperatures continue to rise, marine heatwaves will become even more common and severe, putting increasing pressure on already stressed ocean ecosystems. These increased marine heatwaves could, in return, cause our atmosphere less stable leading to more frequent and powerful tropical storms in some regions,” Feng said
Noting that human activities are fundamentally changing oceans, the study called for urgent climate action to protect marine environments.
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