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A suicide car bomber strikes a school bus in southwestern Pakistan, killing 5 people

A suicide car bomber strikes a school bus in southwestern Pakistan, killing 5 people
Security personnel guard along a street near the site of a school bus bombing in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan province . (File/AFP)
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Updated 21 May 2025

A suicide car bomber strikes a school bus in southwestern Pakistan, killing 5 people

A suicide car bomber strikes a school bus in southwestern Pakistan, killing 5 people
  • The province has been the scene of a long-running insurgency, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks
  • There was no immediate comment from New Delhi

QUETTA, Pakistan: A suicide car bomber struck a school bus in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing five people — including at least three children — and wounding 38 others, officials said, the latest attack in tense Balochistan province.
The province has been the scene of a long-running insurgency, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, including the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA, designated a terror group by the United States in 2019.
A local deputy commissioner, Yasir Iqbal, said the attack took place on the outskirts of the city of Khuzdar as the bus was taking children to their military-run school there.
Troops quickly arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area while ambulances transported the victims to hospitals in the city. Local television stations aired footage of the badly damaged bus and scattered debris.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists, who frequently target security forces and civilians in the region.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack and expressed deep sorrow over the children’s deaths. He called the perpetrators “beasts” who deserve no leniency, saying the enemy had committed an act of “sheer barbarism by targeting innocent children.”
Officials, who initially reported that four children were killed but later revised the death toll to say two adults were also among the dead, said they fear the toll may rise further as several children were listed in critical condition.
Blaming India
The military also issued a statement, saying the bombing was “yet another cowardly and ghastly attack” — allegedly planned by neighboring India and carried out by “its proxies in Balochistan.”
There was no immediate comment from New Delhi.
Most of the attacks in the province are claimed by the BLA, which Pakistan claims has India’s backing. India has denied such claims.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences and also blamed India, without providing any evidence to support the claim.
“The attack on a school bus by terrorists backed by India is clear proof of their hostility toward education in Balochistan,” Sharif said, vowing that the government would bring the perpetrators to justice.
Later, Sharif’s office said he is traveling to Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, along with Field Marshal Asim Munir, to meet with the victims of the attack, and to receive a briefing.
Pakistan regularly accuses India, its archrival, for violence at home. These accusations have intensified in the wake of heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations amid a cross-border escalation since last month over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, divided between the two but sought in its entirety by each.
That escalation raised fears of a broader war, and during this period the BLA appealed to India for support. India has not commented on the appeal.
A vicious insurgency
Though Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan is its least populated. It’s also a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority, whose members say they face discrimination by the government.
In one of its deadliest recent attacks, BLA insurgents killed 33 people, mostly soldiers, during an assault on a train carrying hundreds of passengers in Balochistan in March.
And earlier this week, the BLA vowed more attacks on the “Pakistani army and its collaborators” and says its goal is to “lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan.”
Militant groups are also active in the Balochistan and though it is unusual for separatists to target school children in the province, such attacks have been carried out in the restive northwest and elsewhere in the country in recent years.
Most schools and colleges in Pakistan are operated by the government or the private sector, though the military also runs a significant number of institutions for children of both civilians and of serving or retired army personnel.
In 2014, the Pakistani Taliban carried out the country’s deadliest school attack on an army-run institution in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 154 people, most of them children.


GCC, ASEAN leaders hold first trilateral summit with China

GCC, ASEAN leaders hold first trilateral summit with China
Updated 5 sec ago

GCC, ASEAN leaders hold first trilateral summit with China

GCC, ASEAN leaders hold first trilateral summit with China
  • GCC, ASEAN leaders agree to increase trade volume to $180 billion, engage in FTA negotiations
  • Strategic cooperation between the regional blocs was established during their 2023 Riyadh summit 

KUALA LUMPUR/DUBAI: Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday for the second ASEAN-GCC Summit and a historic three-way meeting with China.

The ASEAN-GCC Summit and the inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Trilateral Summit were held alongside the 46th ASEAN Summit, which Malaysia is hosting as the Southeast Asian bloc’s chair this year.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who opened the sessions, said the ASEAN-GCC relationship would be “key in enhancing inter-regional collaboration, building resilience and securing sustainable prosperity for all.”

Strategic cooperation between the 10-member grouping of Southeast Asian nations and the alliance of six Gulf states was established in October 2023, when they held their first summit hosted by Ƶ.

Their meeting in Kuala Lumpur — and the inclusion of China in the talks — comes against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, recently heightened by global tariffs imposed last month by US President Donald Trump.

While most countries were granted a 90-day reprieve from the measures, Southeast Asia’s major economies have since been engaged in efforts to diversify their trading networks.

ASEAN and GCC representatives — including Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Al-Thani, the crown princes of Bahrain and Kuwait, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan — have agreed to increase bilateral trade and engage in free trade negotiations.

The GCC is now ASEAN’s seventh-largest trading partner, with total trade reaching $130.7 billion in 2023.

“We aim to increase this figure to $180 billion by 2032, as there remains substantial untapped potential in bilateral trade and investment,” Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid, who is also the president of the current session of the Supreme Council of the GCC, said during the summit.

“We would like to underscore the importance of continuing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment and the arts, and we look forward to the positive outcomes of free trade agreement negotiations between both sides, which will open up investment opportunities and support regional development.”

As the Southeast Asian and Gulf leaders were joined by Beijing’s delegation, led by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Anwar welcomed the tripartite meeting as a “landmark moment” in international cooperation.

“I am confident that ASEAN, the GCC and China can draw upon our unique strengths to shape a future that is more connected, more resilient and more prosperous for generations to come,” he said.

“ASEAN has long demonstrated that regionalism, anchored in consensus, respect and openness, can succeed. We have thrived in our longstanding partnerships with the GCC and China. Today, we have the opportunity to elevate these ties.”

The combined economies of the GCC, ASEAN, and China now total nearly $25 trillion, with a combined population exceeding 2 billion.

“China has long been a very strategic partner with ASEAN, being the largest trading partner of all ASEAN countries, and it has long taken part in ASEAN-related meetings ranging from ASEAN Plus to ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum),” Dr. Oh Ei Sun, principal advisor at the Pacific Research Center in Kuala Lumpur, told Arab News.

“China has the technology, GCC the money, and ASEAN the market ... As protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise globally, these groupings see the need to strengthen multilateralism, not the least with bringing themselves closer together.”

Amid global turbulence, economic fragmentation and shifting power dynamics, the Kuala Lumpur summits showed the growing ambitions of Southeast Asia and the Gulf region to play a more influential role in international markets and geopolitical affairs.

“This isn’t just another summit, it signals that these regions want a bigger say in how the global economy is run and despite the external factors,” said Kamles Kumar, associate director at Asia Group Advisors in Kuala Lumpur.

“The Global South is no longer content to be on the sidelines.”

China’s participation could be seen as Beijing’s intent to stay close to rising regional alliances, especially in the face of US policies.

“It’s about influence with securing energy links with the Gulf and reinforcing trade ties with ASEAN, while positioning itself as an indispensable partner in South-South cooperation,” Kumar said.

“There is a recognition that momentum is shifting. The quiet push for deeper ASEAN economic cooperation, including conversations around regional supply chains, green infrastructure, and trade integration, is drawing attention. China’s presence underscores that no major player wants to be left out of what comes next.”


Ukrainian climber released from detention days after record-breaking Everest ascent

Ukrainian climber released from detention days after record-breaking Everest ascent
Updated 11 min 38 sec ago

Ukrainian climber released from detention days after record-breaking Everest ascent

Ukrainian climber released from detention days after record-breaking Everest ascent
  • “Andrew is now out of custody after a misunderstanding,” said Ushakov’s public relations team
  • “He is currently working to clarify all matters with the relevant authorities“

Katmandu: Ukrainian climber Andrew Ushakov, who completed a journey from sea level to the summit of Mount Everest in a record four days, has been released on bail following his arrest for carrying undeclared foreign currency, a Nepali official told Reuters on Tuesday.

“He has to face the charges in court,” said Chandi Prasad Ghimire, director general of the Department of Revenue Investigation. “If he chooses to raise hands (not fight the case in court) he forfeits the bail money.”


Ghimire had previously said that the bail was set at $60,000 — three times the amount allegedly carried by Ushakov, 40, when he was taken into custody on Sunday.

“Andrew is now out of custody after a misunderstanding,” Ushakov’s public relations team told Reuters on Tuesday. “He is grateful for the support he has received and is currently working to clarify all matters with the relevant authorities.”

Ushakov, a structural engineer who lives in the United States, flew from New York to Nepal on May 15 before scaling Everest without the usual period of several weeks of acclimatization.

He said he did not use Xenon, the gas inhaled by four British former special forces soldiers who scaled Earth’s highest mountain last week, in five days, after leaving London. The climbers used Xenon to pre-acclimatize themselves to the low-oxygen environment they would encounter as they journeyed toward the 8,849-meter summit.

Police official Nakul Pokhrel said that the undeclared foreign currency was detected during baggage screening as Ushakov readied to board a plane leaving Katmandu, Nepal’s capital city.

Anyone carrying foreign currency worth more than $5,000 is required to declare it to the authorities in Nepal.


Trump administration moves to cut $100m in federal contracts for Harvard

Trump administration moves to cut $100m in federal contracts for Harvard
Updated 53 min 14 sec ago

Trump administration moves to cut $100m in federal contracts for Harvard

Trump administration moves to cut $100m in federal contracts for Harvard
  • President Donald Trump has railed against Harvard in an intensifying clash
  • Harvard filed a lawsuit April 21 over the administration’s calls for changes to the university’s leadership

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is asking federal agencies to cancel contracts with Harvard University worth about $100 million, a senior administration official said Tuesday.

The government already has canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school, which has pushed back on the administration’s demands for changes to several of its policies.

A draft letter from the General Services Administration directs agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternate vendors. The administration is planning to send a version of the letter Tuesday, the official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

The New York Times first reported on the letter.

President Donald Trump has railed against Harvard in an intensifying clash with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism.

Harvard filed a lawsuit April 21 over the administration’s calls for changes to the university’s leadership, governance and admissions policies. Since then the administration has slashed the school’s federal funding, moved to cut off enrollment of international students and threatened its tax-exempt status.

The administration has identified about 30 contracts across nine agencies to be reviewed for cancelation, according to another administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly and provided these details on the condition of anonymity. The contracts total roughly $100 million, including executive training for Department of Homeland Security officials.

Agencies with contracts that are deemed critical are being directed not to halt them immediately, but to devise a plan to transition to a different vendor other than Harvard.

The letter applies only to federal contracts with Harvard and not its remaining research grants.


British far-right figure Tommy Robinson released from prison

British far-right figure Tommy Robinson released from prison
Updated 27 May 2025

British far-right figure Tommy Robinson released from prison

British far-right figure Tommy Robinson released from prison
  • He was jailed for contempt of court in October after repeating false claims about Syrian refugee
  • Judge noted ‘absence of contrition or remorse’ from 42-year-old

LONDON: British far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been released from prison after his sentence was reduced by four months.

The 42-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed for contempt of court in October.

He left Woodhill prison on Tuesday after his 18-month sentence was reduced by the High Court last week.

His sentence was first issued after he admitted to breaching an injunction that prevented him from repeating false allegations against Jamal Hijazi.

The Syrian refugee, a schoolboy at the time of the high-profile incident in October 2018, was assaulted by a fellow student at Almondbury Community School in the English town of Huddersfield.

A video clip of the assault went viral, and Robinson published false claims about Hijazi, who sued him for libel.

Robinson was ordered to pay Hijazi’s legal costs and £100,000 ($135,000) in damages, as well as cease repeating the false claims. Robinson admitted to breaching the injunction on 10 occasions, leading to his imprisonment.

After ordering his early release last week, the High Court judge described an “absence of contrition or remorse” from Robinson, but added: “He has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again.”


Greek court issues charges over 2023 migrant boat disaster

Greek court issues charges over 2023 migrant boat disaster
Updated 27 May 2025

Greek court issues charges over 2023 migrant boat disaster

Greek court issues charges over 2023 migrant boat disaster
  • 17 coast guards charged over one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest boat incidents
  • Fishing vessel carrying about 750 people capsized in 2023, with only 104 survivors

LONDON: A Greek naval court has charged 17 coast guards over one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest boat disasters, which killed up to 650 migrants.

The overcrowded Adriana fishing vessel capsized and sank near Pylos off the Greek coast in June 2023.

Survivors told the BBC that witnesses were silenced by Greek coast guards, who had caused the Adriana to capsize by trying to tow it. Greek authorities have consistently denied the claims.

Piraeus Naval Court’s deputy prosecutor found that 17 members of the Hellenic Coast Guard should face criminal charges over the disaster.

One survivor told the BBC on Monday: “It has taken us two years just for these charges to come, even though so many people witnessed what happened.”

Among those facing charges is the captain of the LS-920, the coast guard ship that intercepted the Adriana. The captain is accused of “causing a shipwreck,” leading to the deaths of “at least 82 people.”

That figure represents the number of bodies recovered from the shipwreck, but it is believed that up to 500 more people died, including many women and children who were below deck.

Four other officials, including the then-chief of the coast guard and the supervisor of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Center in Piraeus, were charged with “exposing others to danger.”

The LS-920 captain was also charged with “dangerous interference of maritime transport” and a “failure to provide assistance.”

The coast guard ship’s crew were charged with “simple complicity” in all the actions allegedly committed by the captain.

The Adriana, which left Libya for Italy with about 750 people on board, had been monitored by the coast guard for about 15 hours before the disaster took place. Only 104 survivors have been recorded.

The BBC conducted a lengthy investigation that challenged the Greek coast guard’s account of the sinking.

Last year, a Greek court threw out a case against nine Egyptians allegedly tied to the disaster, amid claims that they had been scapegoated by Greek authorities.

Syrian refugee Ahmad described the events to the BBC and accused the Greek coast guard of negligence.

“They attached a rope from the left,” he said. “Everyone moved to the right side of our boat to balance it. The Greek vessel moved off quickly, causing our boat to flip. They kept dragging it for quite a distance.”

Once survivors were rescued, they were ordered to “shut up” by the official in charge of questioning, Ahmad added.

The survivors, he said, were told: “You have survived death. Stop talking about the incident. Don’t ask more questions about it.”

Ahmad said he is “very happy” that the coast guards “are eventually being held accountable for all that they have committed, but until I see them in prison nothing has been done yet.”