Musa Lane building collapse: Victims’ death toll mounts to 33

KARACHI: The death toll of victims died in Musa Lane building collapse has mounted up to 33 as three more dead bodies have been recovered from the debris this morning, TrendPK reported on Monday.

The work for removal of debris of Musa Lane’s unfortunate collapsed building continues on the fifth day on Monday (today).

Earlier on Sunday, the death toll of victims died in the collapsed building reached on 30 but after today’s three more dead bodies recovery now it has climbed to33.

Meanwhile, a local court has handed over three accused, Imtiaz Shah, Abdul Shakoor and Abdullah, including owner of the building to police on physical remand. TrendPK

Suicide bombers attack Afghan U.N. building

HEART: Two suicide bombers attacked a U.N. compound in the western Afghan province of Herat and several insurgents were now inside the building, local police said on Saturday.

Afghan troops were surrounding the U.N. building in Heart city, an area that Taliban and other Islamist militants are not very active in.

There were no immediate details on any casualties.

Mohammad Salem Ehsas, police chief of Herat, said two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the building while several other attackers managed to get inside. He did not know how many fighters there were but said it could be up to three insurgents.

A U.N. spokesman in Kabul, Dan McNorton, said he “was aware of an incident affecting a U.N. office in Herat” and said it was ongoing. He did not confirm that an attack had taken place.

Militants attacked a U.N. guesthouse in Kabul

Militants blow up school in Peshawar

Staff Report

PESHAWAR: Taliban militants on Saturday blew up a boys primary school in Peshawar, police said.

The pre-dawn school attack took place in Budhbir Town in the outskirts of Peshawar, where militants detonated explosives planted around the building, destroying two school rooms.

No loss of life was reported in the attack.

Police called a bomb disposal squad to defuse another six kilogram bomb which failed to explode.

Extremist groups have once again stepped up attacks on schools in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkwa. SAMAA

Militants blow up school in Peshawar

Staff Report

PESHAWAR: Taliban militants on Saturday blew up a boys primary school in Peshawar, police said.

The pre-dawn school attack took place in Budhbir Town in the outskirts of Peshawar, where militants detonated explosives planted around the building, destroying two school rooms.

No loss of life was reported in the attack.

Police called a bomb disposal squad to defuse another six kilogram bomb which failed to explode.

Extremist groups have once again stepped up attacks on schools in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkwa. SAMAA

Ajmer Building Collapses, no one Injured

Two story building catches fires in Ghotki

GHOTKI: In the tehsil Mir Pur Mathelo of Ghotki, a two story building in the central market has caught fire, Samaa reported Sunday.

According to sources due to short circuit suddenly a two story building in the central market has caught fire in tehsil Mir Pur Mathelo of Ghotki.

Fire encompasses two homes situated on the first floor. Hundreds of people gathered at the spot after getting the news. People help themselves and managed to take out the entrapped people from the building, however a five year child has been critically burnt. Worth millions of household stuff has been totally destroyed by fire. SAMAA

Record floodwater flowing from Sukkur Barrage

SUKKUR/HYDERABAD: Record floodwater was flowing from Sukkur Barrage after water flow reached its highest level of 1,115,210 cusecs on Monday and 1,128,738 cusecs at the Guddu Barrage.

As predicted, water level increased at Guddu and Sukkur Barrages due to the hill torrents and flash water.

Hundreds of villages were flooded due to breaches at many protective embankments from Ghouspur, Guddu, B-S Feeder, Bachal Shah Miani embankment and Sindhoja embankment.

Heavy pressure of flood is persisting at Qadirpur Loop protective embankment, Nusrat Loop embankment and Aqil embankment.

Army evacuated people of the nearby areas and sealed the barrage and closed all the roads leading to the barrage.

The doors of the Sukkur Barrage have also been opened, but there was heavy water pressure at the barrage. Shikarpur city is also under the threat of flooding where Sajjan Mahaisar is at high risk of inundation.

Ruet-e-Hilal committee meets Wednesday

ISLAMABAD: The meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee for sighting of moon of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak 1431 Hijri will be held on Wednesday (August 11).

The committee will meet under the chairmanship of Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman in the building of Pakistan Meteorological Department, Main University Road, Gulshan-e-Jauhar, Karachi.

4 bodies pulled from building rubble in Karachi

KARACHI: Four bodies were recovered from debris of a residential building collapsed in SITE area here on Wednesday while more are feared still buried under the rubble.

Construction work was underway on a four-storey residential building in Metroville SITE number which suddenly fell apart and came to ground.

Police, Rangers and rescue personnel reached the site of the incident immediately after the mishap.

Dead bodies of four people, including two women and as many children were pulled out of the rubble while six others were retrieved with serious injuries and shifted to a nearby hospital.

According to area residents, the different portions of the building were rented out while the third floor of the building had been constructed only a year ago.

India-US strategic dialogue today

WASHINGTON: The United States will try to reassure India that it remains at the top of its priority list as the two countries hold talks Wednesday on stepping up cooperation around the world.

President Barack Obama has voiced support for warming ties between the world”s two largest democracies, raising alarm in India about the flow of US resources to its historic rival.

Senior US official William Burns acknowledged that some Indians worried the United States saw India through the prism of ties with Pakistan or cared less about New Delhi than the other rising Asian power, China.

“Let me speak plainly to those concerns — this administration has been, and will remain, deeply committed to supporting India”s rise and to building the strongest possible partnership between us,” said Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs.

Burns said a strong India was “in the strategic interest of the United States,” with the two countries in agreement on global issues ranging from promoting democracy to reducing poverty.

“Never has there been a moment when partnership between India and America mattered more to the rest of the globe,” he said.

Burns, the top US career diplomat, will hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. The two-day meetings will expand Thursday to include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash, previewing the talks, said the two countries shared a “common objective of promoting peace, stability and economic development in the region and beyond.”

The Obama administration has increasingly turned to “strategic dialogues” of this sort to show its commitment to broadening relationships with key nations.

The United States held such talks with Pakistan in March, hoping to dent the country”s rampant anti-Americanism by showing that Washington was interested in ties beyond just cooperation on its war against the Taliban and its Al-Qaeda allies in Afghanistan and the lawless border region with Pakistan.

One-upping that dialogue, Obama himself will attend the reception Thursday for the talks with India. He also plans to pay his first presidential visit to India later this year.

The United States approved a 7.5-billion-dollar package last year for Pakistan to build infrastructure and democratic institutions. Washington has also praised what it sees as Islamabad”s growing determination to fight Taliban insurgents.

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