At least 44 dead as flash floods slam New York area

Flash flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida killed at least 44 people in the New York area overnight into Thursday, including several who perished in basements during the "historic" weather event officials blamed on climate change.

Record rainfall, which prompted an unprecedented flash flood emergency warning for New York City, turned streets into rivers and shut down subway services as water cascaded down platforms onto tracks.

"I'm 50 years old and I've never seen that much rain ever," said Metodija Mihajlov whose basement of his Manhattan restaurant was flooded with three inches of water.

"It was like living in the jungle, like tropical rain. Unbelievable. Everything is so strange this year," he told AFP.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled at LaGuardia and JFK airports, as well as at Newark, where video showed a terminal inundated by rainwater.

"We're all in this together. The nation is ready to help," President Joe Biden said ahead of a trip Friday to the southern state of Louisiana, where Ida earlier destroyed buildings and left more than a million homes without power.

Flooding closed major roads across New Jersey and New York boroughs including Manhattan, The Bronx and Queens, submerging cars and forcing the fire department to rescue hundreds of people.

At least 23 people died in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy told reporters.

"The majority of these deaths were individuals who got caught in their vehicles," he said.

A state trooper died in the neighboring state of Connecticut.

Thirteen died in New York City, including 11 who could not escape their basements, police said. The victims ranged from the ages of two to 86.

"Among the people MOST at risk during flash floods here are those living in off-the-books basement dwellings that don't meet the safety codes necessary to save lives," lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

"These are working class, immigrant, and low-income people & families," she added.

Three also died in the New York suburb of Westchester, while another four died in Montgomery County outside Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, a local official confirmed.

Ida blazed a trail of destruction north after slamming into Louisiana over the weekend, bringing severe flooding and tornadoes.

"We're enduring an historic weather event tonight with record-breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said late Wednesday.

State emergencies were declared in New York and New Jersey while the National Weather Service issued its first-ever emergency flash flood warning for New York City, urging residents to move to higher ground.

"You do not know how deep the water is and it is too dangerous," the New York branch of the National Weather Service (NWS) said in a tweet.

The NWS recorded 3.15 inches (80 millimeters) of rain in Central Park in just an hour -- beating a record set just last month during Storm Henri.

The US Open was also halted as howling wind and rain blew under the corners of the Louis Armstrong Stadium roof.

New Yorkers woke to clear blue skies Thursday as the city edged back to life, but signs of the previous night's carnage weren't far away: residents moved fallen tree branches from roads as subway services slowly resumed.

By Thursday evening, around 38,000 homes in Pennsylvania, 24,000 in New Jersey and 12,000 in New York were without power, according to the website poweroutage.us, a significant decrease from earlier in the day.

It is rare for such storms to strike America's northeastern seaboard and comes as the surface layer of oceans warms due to climate change.

The warming is causing cyclones to become more powerful and carry more water, posing an increasing threat to the world's coastal communities, scientists say.

"Global warming is upon us and it's going to get worse and worse and worse unless we do something about it," said Democratic senator Chuck Schumer.

In Annapolis, 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Washington, a tornado ripped up trees and toppled electricity poles.

The NWS warned the threat of tornadoes would linger, with tornado watches in effect for parts of southern Connecticut, northern New Jersey, and southern New York as Ida tracked north through New England.

A tornado struck the popular tourist destination Cape Cod, Massachusetts on Thursday evening.

 

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Thousands join protest in Bangkok for PM’s resignation

Thousands of people protested in central Bangkok on Thursday to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and said they would return every day until he leaves office.

The demonstration at the Asoke intersection in central Bangkok was one of the biggest such gatherings this year despite a warning from the police earlier in the day that protests are banned due to coronavirus restrictions.

Protests against Prayuth have gained momentum since late June as groups who sought his removal last year return with broader support from people angered by a worsening coronavirus situation.

Thailand has recorded more than 1.2 million infections and 12,103 deaths since the pandemic started last year, with most of the cases and deaths occurring since April this year. The demonstration is also taking place while Prayuth is facing a grilling in parliament in a censure debate that started earlier this week.

The political opposition accuse the prime minister and five other cabinet ministers of corruption, economic mismanagement and of bungling the coronavirus response.

Prayuth and his ministers have rejected the opposition accusations and defended their performance to parliament.

They are expected to survive the no-confidence vote scheduled for Saturday, due to the ruling coalition’s clear parliamentary majority, but the protesters say they will keep up pressure on Prayuth.

“The members of parliament have to chose between the people and Prayuth who has failed, causing losses and deaths of more than 10,000 people,” said Nattawut Saikua, one of the main organisers of the protest.

“If Prayuth passes the no-confidence vote and remains prime minister we will continue to drive him out,” he said.

While the demonstration at Asoke was peaceful, a smaller group of anti-government

protesters set off fire crackers and burn car tires on Thursday near the prime minister’s residence in another part of the city.

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Pakistan summons Indian envoy over 'shameless snatching' of Syed Ali Geelani's body

Pakistan on Friday summoned the Indian charge d'affaires to the Foreign Office to condemn India's "shameless snatching" of veteran Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's body from his family and disallowing his burial to be held in accordance with his will.

"The Indian charge d'affaires was summoned to the Foreign Office today and conveyed Pakistan's strong demarche on Indian occupation forces' callous and inhuman handling of the mortal remains of the iconic Kashmiri leader and freedom fighter Syed Ali Shah Geelani," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

It was also conveyed to the envoy that India's actions were a "blatant violation" of international humanitarian laws and all tenets of civil and human rights, the FO added.

Geelani, who passed away on Wednesday, was buried in a tightly controlled pre-dawn ceremony on Thursday morning as Indian authorities imposed a lockdown across Indian-occupied Kashmir.

He was buried at a cemetery near his home in the main city of Srinagar, a police source told AFP. Only a small number of his relatives were present, including two of his sons, the source added.

Geelani, the most outspoken critic of India who spent several years in jail or under house arrest, had wanted to be buried at the Martyrs Cemetery in Srinagar. But authorities rejected that request, the police source said.

"We basically took control of the arrangements," the official said.

In its statement today, the FO noted that authorities in Indian-occupied Kashmir had repeatedly "resorted to indiscriminate use of force against Kashmiris protesting [the forces'] inhuman conduct".

In view of India's actions in the past and to keep things from spiralling out of control in the occupied valley, there was a possibility of India "stage-managing some mischief" in Kashmir to divert attention and attempt to deflect the blame of its own indefensible actions on Pakistan or the Hurriyat leadership, the FO cautioned.

Pakistan stressed upon the envoy that India "must refrain from any missteps that might further jeopardise regional peace".

He was also reminded of Pakistan's stance that India should lift the "illegal military siege" in occupied Kashmir, stop measures aimed at changing the territory's demography, withdraw its occupation troops and cease all its human rights violations, the FO added.

Pakistan's position that lasting and durable peace in the region was dependent on the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people was also conveyed to the Indian envoy, according to the FO statement.

Funeral prayers in absentia for the late Hurriyat leader were offered at the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad on Friday. President Dr Arif Alvi and other leaders attended the funeral prayers.

A day earlier, the Pakistani nation paid rich tribute to Geelani for his life-long struggle for justice and freedom, with the country's flag flying at half-mast.

Funeral prayers in absentia were also offered in Karachi by members of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami.

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PM Imran launches Property, Housing and Construction Expo 2021

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday kicked off the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (ICCI) Property, Housing and Construction Expo 2021.

Addressing the launching ceremony in Islamabad, the premier said the construction sector was the biggest provider of job opportunities because it had numerous industries attached to it.

"This is one way of providing employment, wealth creation, increasing revenues to meet expenses and repaying loans. We will repay loans when the economy grows and more than anything, it grows on the basis of construction," he said.

The prime minister called upon the construction sector to fully try and depend less on imports, saying that "all raw material is available in Pakistan."

"I assure you that we will fully help you. It is the government's job to manufacture more things in Pakistan," he added.

According to Prime Minister Imran, a "construction boom" was coming to the country due to the great demand by the 220 million people for low-cost housing.

He lamented that the common man, daily wager or government servants never had the opportunity in the past to build their homes because of a lack of mortgage-financing options but that obstacle was now removed due to the government's efforts to pass the foreclosure law.

"Banks will give money to people for mortgage financing and then this population of 220m of ours will become an asset because it will generate demand and then construction and related industries will start running."

The premier told the event that he had called the chief of the International Monetary Fund to gain concessions for the construction industry during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also said that over the course of numerous meetings, "we realised ... our entire system has evolved in such a manner that it puts obstacles instead of facilitating and encouraging industry and wealth creation."

When a society begins to decline, the premier said, its bureaucracy too devolves and becomes self-serving instead of encouraging growth and prosperity. "It takes time to change the system," he added.

Prime Minister Imran said many meetings had been held to remove obstacles for the construction industry and while they hadn't been eliminated fully, there were more incentives for the industry than before and the government would continue increasing them.

Speaking about problems within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), he said the government was "continuously trying to bring reforms" in the body, pointing out that Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin hailed from the private sector and was familiar with its issues.

He said the true potential of Pakistan's population would be realised when the industry, particularly the export industry, was encouraged.

"It is necessary that we help ourselves, facilitate you and the government creates ease of doing business for you but then you too help the government by paying tax," he emphasised.

He said until taxes were paid, the country's wealth wouldn't increase and the government wouldn't be able to facilitate the construction sector so "it is a two-way system."

"We have to help you so your wealth increases. You have to help us through paying tax so we can improve infrastructure and fulfil basic requirements of people."

The premier said the government would continue to work with the ICCI and resolve its issues.

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Abandoning Afghanistan means risking a civil war: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

All the speculations in the backdrop of the Afghan situation have proved wrong and we wish for the peace to prevail now, said the foreign minister while hosting   his English counterpart in Islamabad during the latter’s three-day official. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a joint press conference with the United Kingdom Secretary of State Dominic Raab noting their talks have been constructive with a resolve to further the bilateral ties between the two countries. The two foreign ministers noted that they shared similar sentiments for the rebuilding of Afghan…

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Tribute to Martyrs Families, ISPR released video of BDS official saving children

Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) released the eighth video of its series to pay tribute to the martyrs’ families ahead of the Defence and Martyrs Day, showing a bomb disposal squad (BDS) official leaving her mother on a hospital bed to save school children. The video released by the ISPR shows a BDS official waiting outside a hospital room where his mother had to undergo a heart bypass surgery when he receives a call to be informed regarding a bomb being planted at a school. The video shows the mother…

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China is leading example when it comes to eradicating poverty from world: PM Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan said the world faces a set of challenges ranging from climate change to poverty and food scarcity which were made worse by COVID-19 outbreak. Addressing virtually a ceremony in China, PM Imran Khan said for the developing countries, it was imperative to deal with food scarcity challenge. The premier said China is the leading example when it comes to eradicating poverty from the world. sharing the example of how Pakistani coped with the acute challenges amid Covid, the premier said it was by the Ehsas Program that…

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