The Global News Desk 115

July 11 - (The Global News Desk 115) —  Azad Kashmir is a Pakistani-controlled area that is officially self-governing. It shares borders with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Since its independence from India, it has had full access to all basic rights under Pakistan’s administration. It is illegal for anybody from Pakistan to purchase land or other real estate in Azad Kashmir without having a state subject certificate or other official documents proving that they have lived there permanently. Pakistan preserves the special status of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.   Pakistan never permits other Pakistanis from any province to purchase even one acre of land in Azad Kashmir. We are fully adhering to our international policy commitments. According to the Simla Agreement, signed on July 2, 1972, by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, both India and Pakistan are obligated not to alter the status of any pend...

July 11 - (The Global News Desk 115) — Jorge Rodriguez, the president of Bolivaria, recently announced via a Telegram channel that 4,118 people had died in the aftermath of the earthquake that rocked Venezuela last month.  Furthermore, the earthquake left 17,907 people homeless, while 16,740 sustained injuries. A total of 856 buildings suffered significant damage, and 190 buildings were entirely destroyed. Approximately 6,462 individuals have been saved during relief operations, while 29,966 others received treatment in hospitals and healthcare facilities. On the evening of June 24, a strong earthquake ripped through Venezuela.  Within 40 seconds of each other, two sets of earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 were recorded. Their centers were observed to be 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) apart in the state of Yaracuy.

July 10 - (The Global News Desk 115)  —  About 12 people were burned alive as a wildfire raged through the Almería region of southern Spain, coinciding with a severe heatwave that has impacted the entire country. The government announced on Friday that several of the deceased in Bedar town, which is in the Almería province, were found in their cars. As the temperature rose to 40C, more than 150 firefighters, supported by five fire vehicles, were sent to the scene. As the fire progressed, roads were closed, and locals were evacuated; around fifty people were sheltered in a cultural center. At least six victims were hurt in the incident, including a woman and men.  Witnesses informed police that the fire may have originated when a power cable collapsed, sparking dry grass and quickly spreading across the adjacent woods, but officials have not confirmed the cause. Victims, who suffered from burns and smoke inhalation, were transported to local medical facilities. ...

 A state-run news agency reports that a devastating fire at a shoe factory in Jinjiang, China, has claimed at least 28 workers' lives. Broadcasts and posts on social media featured videos and photos showing huge black smoke rising from a building, as well as people who appeared to be trapped on the rooftop. The Huiteng Footwear facility caught fire on Thursday afternoon around 5:00 BST. The state channel CCTV confirmed that more than 200 people have been evacuated. However, it is not known how many people have been affected by injuries. President Xi Jinping said that the fire resulted in "significant casualties," and that those guilty must be held "strictly accountable." He also expressed profound grief over the loss of precious lives.  

The Pakistani military's media wing said in a report that 38 law enforcement officials were killed in a recent sequence of severe terrorist strikes in Balochistan.  The ISPR Director-General announced on Wednesday that 42 people, including 38 security forces, were slain in barbaric attacks by extremists sponsored by India.  Since the early days of July, Balochistan has been the site of numerous fatal violent incidents directed at both security personnel and civilians.  A violent attack on a Ziarat checkpoint on July 6 led to the tragic deaths of nine police officers, which opened the door to further bloodshed. As a consequence of the Ziarat operation, 18 more police officers were killed during the ongoing clearing efforts. The DG ISPR confirmed that security forces successfully wiped out 54 terrorists in response to aggressive activities.

Islamabad, Pakistan  —  The government of Balochistan reported on Tuesday that a shootout in the province of Balochistan brought about the deaths of at least nine police personnel and fifteen terrorists. Nine police officers were killed, and many more were injured in a fierce gunfight that broke out overnight in Balochistan when a large number of terrorists stormed a police post. According to the law enforcement network, terrorist assaults on security personnel have risen in recent years.  Police said the attack occurred in a remote area of Ziarat district in Balochistan province, but provided no further details. The Balochistan government's spokesperson, Shahid Rind, said that the terrorists abducted eight police officers, all of whom were later apprehended by security forces. Mohsin Naqvi, the Interior Minister, held Indian-backed militants responsible for the recent attack. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and Bilawal Bhu...