At least 25 killed, 46 injured in suspected suicide blast in Pakistan | Top News of Nov 9, 2024

[00:00:09] Hello, this is your daily dose of news from Onmanorama. I'm your host Deepa Soman and these are the major news stories of Saturday Nov 9, 2024.

[00:00:20] At least 25 people were killed and around 46 injured in a suspected suicide blast in Pakistan's Belochistan. Victims included around 14 soldiers. An ethnic Milton group in the region claimed responsibility for the blast.

[00:00:36] The US has told Qatar that the presence of Hamas in Doha was no longer acceptable. Hamas recently rejected the latest proposal to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage deal.

[00:00:49] Former US House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that Democrats might have fared better in the US election if President Joe Biden had exited the race sooner.

[00:01:00] Her comments are the latest against Biden after the party lost the election.

[00:01:06] In a move that could impact several Indian students, Canada has abruptly terminated its popular Student Direct Strain program effective from Nov 8, 2024.

[00:01:18] Further tightening measures include tougher language and academic benchmarks for students aiming to qualify for the post-graduation work permit.

[00:01:27] A fifth person has died from burn injuries sustaining in the recent fireworks accident at the Anu Tembalam Virir Kava Temple near Kasagor's Nileshwar.

[00:01:37] According to the Kasagor District Administration, the accident injured 154 people, 100 of whom were initially hospitalized.

[00:01:46] Let's get into the details.

[00:01:48] A suspected suicide blast by an ethnic militant group rocked a crowded railway station in Pakistan's Balochistan region on Saturday morning.

[00:01:57] At least 25 people were killed and around 46 were injured in the incident.

[00:02:01] The victims included at least 14 soldiers, the police said.

[00:02:06] CCTV footage showed dozens of people waiting on the platform when the blast ripped through the station.

[00:02:11] The blast occurred when the Jafar Express was about to depart from Peshawar.

[00:02:17] Baloch Liberation Army, an ethnic militant group in the region, has claimed responsibility for the blast.

[00:02:23] The incident happened when Pakistan grapples with a rise in terror attacks by ethnic militant groups.

[00:02:29] Around three months ago, numerous attacks on police stations and highways in the same region claimed at least 73 lives.

[00:02:37] The US has told Qatar that the presence of Hamas in Doha was no longer acceptable in the weeks since the Palestinian militant group rejected the latest proposal to achieve a ceasefire and a hostage deal.

[00:02:51] Qatar, alongside the US and Egypt, has played a major role in rounds of talks to broker a ceasefire to the year-long war in Gaza.

[00:03:00] The latest rounds of talks in mid-October failed to produce a deal with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal.

[00:03:08] After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner.

[00:03:16] We made that clear to Qatar following Hamas' rejection weeks ago of another hostage release proposal.

[00:03:22] A senior official told Reuters, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

[00:03:27] Qatar then made the demand to Hamas leaders about 10 days ago, the official said.

[00:03:32] Washington has been in touch with Qatar over when to close the group's political office and it told Doha that now was the time.

[00:03:40] Meanwhile, the UN in a recent report said that 70 percent of the victims of the war in Gaza are women and children.

[00:03:48] Former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said Democrats might have fared better in Tuesday's US election if President Joe Biden had exited the race sooner.

[00:03:59] Pelosi told the New York Times that had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race.

[00:04:06] Her remarks are the latest fingers pointing from Democrats.

[00:04:11] Biden ended up leaving the US presidential race at the end of July after weeks of pressure following a poor debate performance against Donald Trump.

[00:04:20] A handful of Harris's aides also laid the blame at Biden's feet and said he should have bowed out sooner.

[00:04:26] Canada has unexpectedly ended its popular Student Direct Stream program effective Friday, November 8, 2024.

[00:04:36] This move puts an end to the fast-track study permit process that had enabled thousands of international students to quickly obtain visas.

[00:04:44] The cancellation of SDS is part of Canada's broader efforts to better manage its international student population amid increasing pressure on housing and resources.

[00:04:55] As part of its 2024 policy overall, the government has introduced a cap of 4,37,000 new study permits for 2025 encompassing all levels of education including postgraduate programs.

[00:05:08] Additional measures include stricter language and academic requirements for students seeking to qualify for the postgraduate work permit,

[00:05:17] reduce work permits for spouses of international students and higher financial proof thresholds.

[00:05:23] A fifth person has died from burn injuries sustained in the recent fireworks accident at the Anu Tembalam Virer Kav Temple near Kasargaard's Nileshwar.

[00:05:34] The death toll now stands at five. According to the Kasargaard District Administration, 154 people were injured with 100 initially hospitalized.

[00:05:43] As of November 8, 63 people are still receiving treatment and nine in the ICU.

[00:05:50] The incident occurred late on October 28 when firecrackers stored at the temple exploded.

[00:05:55] Following the explosion, three individuals, two temple committee members and one other were arrested under the Explosive Substances Act and various sections of the Bharti Nyaya Sanhida.

[00:06:08] That brings us to the end of this episode.

[00:06:10] Thanks for listening to Daily News Doze hosted by me, Deepa Soman and produced by Vishnu Murilidharan.

[00:06:16] Follow on Manorama.com for detailed updates on the latest news and be sure to come back tomorrow.

[00:06:20] We'll see you next time.