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US says it intends to shore up support for Ukraine until Trump takes office

Trump slammed Biden administration for giving Kyiv tens of billions of dollars 

Published by Samiullah Farid

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Brussels (AP): President Joe Biden intends to bolster U.S. military support to Ukraine in the final months of his administration, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, after Russia launched a sophisticated missile and drone attack on Kyiv.

The U.S. will “continue to shore up everything we’re doing for Ukraine to make sure that it can effectively defend itself against this Russian aggression,” Blinken told reporters at NATO headquarters, before planned meetings with allied envoys and Ukrainian officials.

Blinken warned that North Korea’s decision to send its troops into combat operations alongside Russian forces “demands and will get a firm response.” He didn’t elaborate.

U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments say up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops are being sent to the war. The bulk of those troops were expected to be deployed in Russia’s Kursk region where Ukrainian troops have seized a swathe of territory.

Russia’s early morning missile and drone attack was the first on Kyiv in 73 days. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia is intensifying its strikes, apparently in an effort to discourage Ukrainians from continuing the war, which is approaching its 1,000-day milestone.

Russia appears to be pressing its advantage as doubt swirls about how Washington might change policy on the war after Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president in January. The U.S. is the biggest provider of military help to Ukraine.

Trump has slammed the Biden administration for giving Kyiv tens of billions of dollars in aid and has promised to quickly end the conflict. Ukraine’s international backers fear that any rushed settlement would mostly benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Pakistan

Deputy PM Dar urges developed nations to honour climate finance pledges

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to safeguarding lives and protecting communities

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Baku: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday urged the developed nations to honour their climate finance pledges to provide accessible and grants-based climate financing to achieve developing counties’ climate goals.

The deputy prime minister attended a high-level event convened by the United Nations Secretary-General on ‘Delivering Early Warnings for All (EW4All) and Addressing Extreme Heat’ on the sidelines of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).

Addressing the high-level event, the deputy prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to safeguarding lives and protecting communities from the unpredictable and severe impacts of climate change.

He emphasised the importance of early warning systems for climate-induced hazards, including floods, glacial lake outbursts, droughts, and extreme heat.

Ishaq Dar outlined Pakistan’s key initiatives to reduce projected greenhouse gas emissions including Green Pakistan Project, an Electric Vehicle Policy, a large-scale mangrove rehabilitation project, and BRT mass transit systems across major cities.

He also appreciated the UN Secretary-General’s leadership in launching the EW4All initiative in 2022.

Dar said the meeting was being held to discuss the role of early warning system and the increasing risk posed by rising heat.

He said that they stood united in their commitment to safeguard the livelihood, lives, protect communities and ensure that no one was left unprotected from the unpredictable and severe impacts of the climate change.

Over a decade Pakistan was consistently being ranked among the top ten countries mostly impacted by climate change, he said, adding the devastating floods of 2022 were the harsh reminder of their vulnerability resulting in a catastrophic loss of over $30 billion and affecting 33 million people in the country.

If we had any early warning system, much of these impacts could have been mitigated, enabling them to respond proactively and to avoid such immense sufferings, he added.

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Weather

PMD predicts rain in Punjab, upper parts from Thursday 

Weather forecaster says fog situation is likely to increase after rain

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Lahore: Pakistan Meteorological Department on Wednesday informed Westerly winds are expected to enter the upper parts of Pakistan from Thursday evening, bringing a fresh spell of rain and snowfall to multiple regions across the country.

According to PMD, rain and thunderstorms in likely to occur in various areas, particularly in the north and central regions. There are chance of light rain in different areas of Punjab from Nov 14 to 15, resulting in a reduction in smog in the province. 

Areas such as Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, and Battagram and their adjoining areas, along with parts of upper Hazara, including Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Haripur, are expected to receive rain starting from tomorrow evening. The Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan region will experience rain, with snowfall expected in the higher mountain ranges. 

Also Read: Severe air pollution in Islamabad; smog, fog forecast across Pakistan

Moreover, light to moderate rainfall is predicted in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and surrounding regions, including Attock, Talagang, Chakwal, and Jhelum. Rain is also expected in cities such as Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Lahore, Khushab, and Sargodha.

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