Fourteen people have died after a suicide bomber attacked a political rally in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan, where government troops have been battling an insurgency for more than a decade.
The attack was among three in Pakistan on Tuesday that claimed a total of 25 lives, officials said.
Dozens of people were wounded in the Balochistan explosion, which took place in the car park of a stadium in the provincial capital, Quetta, where hundreds of members of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) had gathered, two provincial officials told news agency AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
At least seven of the wounded were in critical condition, the officials said.
Another attack in Balochistan, near the border with Iran, claimed five more lives on Tuesday, while six soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on their base in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and most resource-rich province, but also its poorest, and regularly ranks among the lowest on human development indicator scorecards.
The BNP campaigns on a platform calling for greater rights and economic investment in the well-being of members of the Baloch ethnicity.
The party's chief, Akhtar Mengal, had just finished speaking at the Quetta rally and was leaving the venue when the attack occurred. He said he was “safe” in a post on social media.
Since 2014, China has invested significantly in building a road-and-infrastructure project in Balochistan linked to its Belt and Road Initiative.
Many Baloch, however, say the benefits have been reaped only by outsiders.
Pakistani forces have been battling an insurgency in the province for more than a decade, and last year the region saw a sharp rise in violence, with 782 people killed.
Elsewhere in Balochistan on Tuesday, five paramilitary personnel were killed and four wounded when a home-made bomb exploded as their convoy passed through a district near the Iranian border, a senior local official told AFP.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for either attack.
Since January 1, more than 430 people, mostly members of the security forces, have been killed in violence carried out by armed groups fighting the state in Balochistan and neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On Tuesday, six soldiers were killed in an attack on a paramilitary headquarters in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa city of Bannu, the military said.
“A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the gate of the FC camp, after which five more suicide attackers entered,” a government official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The ensuing exchange of fire lasted 12 hours, ending after the six attackers were killed, the official said.
The militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan claimed responsibility for that attack.
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England (2003-)
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Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
How Beautiful this world is!