US reiterates support for Pakistan after flood devastation

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. —Reuters

• More than 1000 people lost lives due to floods.
• UN issues flash appeal for $160 million to help Pakistan.
• US government has already announced $1 million grant.

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The United States (US) once again reiterated its support for Pakistan as country mourned the deaths of more than 1000 people with millions of people are living under open sky due to torrential rains and floods.
After the devastation caused by the floods, the United Nations has issued a flash appeal on Tuesday for $160 million to help Pakistan cope with catastrophic floods that have killed more than 1,100 people, destroyed infrastructure and crops, and affected 33 million people. In view of the massive flood devastation, international community along with US government has announced relief aid including medical assistance, food items and funds for flood stricken Pakistan. Taking to Twitter, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “we stand with Pakistan in this difficult times.” “As Pakistan suffers from devastating flooding, the United States through USAID, is now providing $30 million towards critical humanitarian assistance like food, safe water, and shelter,” he added.

Earlier, US government has also announced $1 million grant in support of Islamabad’s efforts to address floods and other natural disasters and vowed to stand by Pakistan in hard times.

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PTCL, Ufone pledge support worth Rs1.75 bn for flood affectees

Flood affected people walk on a temporary bamboo path near their flooded house in Shikarpur of Sindh province on August 29, 2022. — AFP 

KARACHI: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) on Monday announced a relief package worth Rs1.75 billion to support flood-hit victims across provinces in Pakistan, the company said in a statement. PTCL's package includes donations to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund, NGOs, provision of free calls in flood affected areas, housing loans to displaced people, and medical facilities to ensure better treatment of affectees. "These are trying times for millions of people across Pakistan, with everything including lives, shelter and sources of income taken away by one of the worst natural calamities in modern times," said Hatem Bamatraf, PTCL and Ufone's President and Group CEO. He stressed on the need to extend collective support by individuals and local organisations when sharing his thoughts on the devastations. "During this crisis, PTCL Group stands with the affected people and is committed to support individuals, their families and communities countrywide," Bamatraf said. 
Through its health centres, the country's largest telecom services provider, will also be offering medical services to affectees who will be treated by the facility's 13 doctors and 27 paramedical staff across its eight districts. PTCL's mobile operator Ufone has also announced free calls services for affectees to help them stay connected with not only family and friends, but also with  the government and aid agencies following the catastrophe. "The U Microfinance Bank has pledged towards providing low-cost house loans for flood-affected families to rebuild their homes," the statement read. The telecom company will also be contributing its funds to various leading aid agencies working in Balochistan and Sindh to ensure immediate relief assistance to victims.
PTCL, in its statement, further shared that its employees and staff will also voluntarily give donation that will be matched by the organization. "The total amount will be donated to a leading charity," PTCL stated. The recent monsoon floods in Pakistan have impacted millions of people with lives lost, properties destroyed, and sources of income wasted for families across provinces.

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Israel ties won’t weaken Türkiye’s support for Palestine

Fast News

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterates the call for a two-state solution at a press conference with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Erdogan says Türkiye continues its longstanding solidarity with Palestine in the “strongest way”. (AA)

Recent steps to normalise Türkiye’s ties with Israel will not weaken the country’s support for Palestine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stressed. “The steps taken in our relations with Israel will in no way diminish our support for the Palestinian cause,” Erdogan told a joint news conference in the capital Ankara with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday. Abbas’s three-day visit comes as Türkiye and Israel take steps to normalise ties, including last week’s decision to restore full diplomatic relations and reappoint ambassadors and consuls general after a four-year hiatus. Erdogan said Türkiye continues its longstanding solidarity with Palestine in the “strongest way”. “Türkiye, which has recognised the Palestinian state from the moment it was proclaimed, defends the vision of a two-state solution on every platform,” he added. Ankara rejects any actions aimed at changing the status of Jerusalem or the Al Aqsa Mosque, said Erdogan, adding: “We conveyed this to our Israeli counterparts. ”Palestine supports Türkiye’s efforts to normalise relations, he said, as Türkiye’s dialogue with Israel will give it a better chance to defend the Palestinian cause. Earlier in the day, Erdogan welcomed Abbas with an official ceremony at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara. READ MORE: Türkiye's stance on Palestine will not change: Cavusoglu

The steps taken in our relations with Israel will in no way diminish our support for the Palestinian cause — Türkiye’s President Erdogan pic.twitter.com/pCfowBIhbU

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) August 23, 2022

Source: AA

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Senate votes to support Finland and Sweden joining NATO

The U.S. Senate approved a resolution Wednesday evening to support Finland and Sweden in joining NATO -- a crucial step in the quest of the two countries to join the 30-member alliance.

The Senate voted 95-1, with Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley voting no and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting "present."

The vote comes several weeks after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved admitting Finland and Sweden into NATO. Lawmakers were working to approve the matter before their August break.

Finland and Sweden announced their decision to formally join NATO within days of each other in May, ending long-held positions of neutrality in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They simultaneously submitted their applications on May 18.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, flanked by Paivi Nevala, minister counselor of the Finnish Embassy, left, and Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden's ambassador to the U.S., welcomes diplomats from Sweden and Finland just before the Senate vote to ratify NATO membership for the two nations in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the Capitol in Washington, Aug. 3, 2022.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

All 30 NATO members must ratify the accession of the two countries. Seven countries remain.

During Wednesday's vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took a veiled swipe at Paul and Hawley in a floor speech, saying, "Their accession will make NATO stronger and America more secure. If any senator is looking for a defensible excuse to vote no, I wish them good luck."

Hawley aligned himself with former President Donald Trump, saying the U.S. could devote more funds and firepower to NATO "or do what we need to do to deter Asia and China. We cannot do both."

Paul has always worked to keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts. He offered an amendment that most rejected seeking to ensure that Congress' role in authorizing military force would not be usurped by the NATO pact's common defense commitment, known as Article 5.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer poses for a photo with an official delegation from Finland and Sweden in his office in Washington, Aug. 3, 2022.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., applauded the Senate's vote, saying on Twitter that it is "all the more urgent given [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's barbaric, immoral and unjustified war in Ukraine."

President Joe Biden thanked a number of senators, including Schumer and McConnell, for moving the ratification process along quickly.

"This historic vote sends an important signal of the sustained, bipartisan U.S. commitment to NATO, and to ensuring our Alliance is prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow," the president said in a statement.

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Outcry as UK court rules to end 12-year-old boy's life support

The ruling came after the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities asked for treatment of Archie Battersbee to be continued so it could examine the case.

The parents of Archie Battersbee have fought unsuccessfully in UK courts to prevent the Royal London Hospital from turning off their son's ventilator and stopping other interventions that are keeping him alive. (Dominic Lipinski / AP)

A UK court has ruled to end life support for a 12-year-old boy despite opposition from his parents and a last-minute intervention by the United Nations.

The Court of Appeal in London decided on Monday that doctors can switch off life support for Archie Battersbee from 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

Archie had been due to have his life support at the Royal London Hospital ended Monday afternoon after his parents failed in a domestic legal bid to halt the move.

As a last resort, Archie's parents applied to the United Nations and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The UN committee requested on Friday that his treatment be continued while Archie's case was under consideration.

The UK government then asked the Court of Appeal to "urgently consider" his case Monday afternoon. An appeal court judge argued the UN request was not enforceable but granted a delay until 12 noon tomorrow.

The Court of Appeal is a High Court based at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Archie's parents can still ask the UK Supreme Court if it will hear the case. If it agrees, the deadline would likely be extended again.

READ MORE: WHO warns of more monkeypox-related deaths in Europe

'It's so traumatic'

Archie's mother, Hollie Dance, discovered him unconscious at home in April with signs he had placed a ligature over his head, possibly after taking part in an online asphyxiation challenge.

UK courts earlier found that ending life-preserving treatment for Archie was in his best interests as doctors believe he is brain-stem dead.

In an interview with Sky News, Dance condemned what she called the "choreographed execution of my son".

"It's so traumatic: to just be dragged through courts, no empathy, no compassion," she said.

The case is the latest in the UK that has pitted the judgment of doctors against the wishes of families. 

In several cases, including this one, the families have been backed by a campaign organisation, the Christian Legal Centre. The centre's chief executive, Andrea Williams, tweeted that the case "goes right to the heart of protections at end of life".

Under British law, it is common for courts to intervene when parents and doctors disagree on the treatment of a child. In such cases, the rights of the child take primacy over the parents’ right to decide what’s best for their offspring.

READ MORE: Why is there a rise in cases of acute hepatitis among children?

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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