Two killed as fire engulfs building in Islamabad
Islamabad, Sep. 10 (IANS): At least two persons were killed and another was injured when a fire erupted in a government building in Islamabad on Sunday, the media reported. The building houses several government and private offices and was located in the red zone area of the capital near embassies and Parliament. Rescue officials said the three people have jumped out of the building after it caught fire to save their lives and sustained injuries.
The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital where two of them succumbed to their injuries.
People have rejected SC’s ruling ousting Nawaz Sharif: Maryam
Islamabad, Sep. 10 (IANS): Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz on Sunday said a very large number of people have rejected the apex court’s verdict that saw her father’s disqualification in the Panama Papers scandal. Maryam was addressing a group of lawyers in Model Town, Lahore, in connection with the election campaign for her mother Kulsoom Nawaz. Kulsoom, who is currently in London being treated for cancer, was given ticket by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for contesting the September 17 by-poll in NA-120 for the seat that fell vacant following Sharif’s disqualification by the Supreme Court on July 28.
Virginia to do away with paperless electronic voting machines
New York, Sep. 10 (IANS): The US state of Virginia is set to replace direct-recording electronic voting machines with devices that produce a clear paper trail over hacking concerns. The state’s election board has approved a Department of Elections recommendation to make counties to replace these machines, Engadget reported on Saturday. The Department of Elections had requested a security assessment by the Virginia Information Technology Agency of various paperless voting systems in use in Virginia and determined that decertification was necessary to safeguard against unauthorised access to the machines.
Maduro calls for the world without wars, terrorism, empires
Astana, Sep. 10 (IANS): Venezuela’s President on Sunday issued a call in Kazakhstan’s capital for a world without wars, terrorism and hegemonic empires. “It’s time to fight for another world. It’s time to fight for a world without wars, without terrorism, without hegemonic empires,” Nicolas Maduro said in his remarks at a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Astana, reports Efe. Maduro, who arrived on Saturday night in Kazakhstan, is participating in the OIC summit as Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement. Venezuela deeply believes “it’s time for dialogue, for a profound dialogue of cultures, civilizations and religions”, the leftist President said.
Saudi to keep pressuring Qatar to meet Arab-bloc demands
Riyadh, Sep. 10 (IANS): Saudi Arabia on Sunday said it would keep pressuring Qatar until demands by a bloc of Arab states are met, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said. The bloc’s 13 demands include Doha ending its alleged support for Islamist extremist groups, closing a Turkish military base in the emirate and downgrading diplomatic ties with Tehran, Xinhua reported. Qatar “must respond to these requests in order to open a new page”, Jubeir said. The Saudi move came just two days after US President Donald Trump spoke with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in a bid to mediate.
Taliban, IS abduct 35 civilians in Afghanistan
Kabul, Sep 10 (IANS): As many as 35 civilians have been kidnapped by militants of the Islamic State and Taliban in northern Afghanistan’s Jawzjan province, locals said on Sunday. “Both IS and the Taliban have created checkpoints along the way between Qush Tipa and Darzab districts of the province, arresting individuals on charges of having links with the other side, and recently 35 people, all civilians, have been taken hostage by the two rival groups,” a local resident was quoted as saying by Xinhua. Meanwhile, Nasratullah Jamshidi, the press officer of the 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan National Army, confirmed the incident, saying he had received such a report.
Largest Los Angeles wildfire ‘fully’ contained
Los Angeles, Sep. 10 (IANS): The largest wildfire in the history of Los Angeles has been 100 per cent brought under control, authorities said. “The minimally smouldering 7,194 acres are now 100 per cent contained due to the relentless work of your firefighters,” an official of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) announced on Saturday. The fast-moving wildfire ripped through the La Tuna Canyon in Los Angeles County since September 1, prompting declaration of an emergency by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Governor Jerry Brown. The fire, threatening homes and critical infrastructure, had forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents and triggered the closure of a major highway.At the peak of the wildfire, there were 1,061 firefighters on the scene.
