JAILED HINDU LEADER IN PAK TAKES OATH AS MEMBER OF KP ASSEMBLY FOR A DAY

PESHAWAR : An imprisoned minority leader in Pakistan, who is facing trial in the murder of a Sikh lawmaker, was on Sunday administered oath as a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly, a day before dissolution of the provincial legislature. Baldev Kumar of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-insaf (PTI) was administered the oath on the orders of the Peshawar high court. The assembly will be dissolved on Monday after the completion of its mandated period. Sardar Soran Singh, the special assistant to the chief minister, was shot dead in April 2016 in Buner district. After Singh’s murder, Kumar was declared Mpa-elect by the Election Commission of Pakistan. However, he has been in jail since 2016 with the seat lying vacant.

48 killed as Uganda bus rams into tractor and truck

KAMPALA: At least 48 people including 16 children died in northern Uganda when a bus hit a tractor driving with no lights at night and then a truck, the Red Cross said on Saturday. “Evacuation teams are working tirelessly to rescue the injured”, said Ugandan police spokeswoman Emilian Kayima, adding that all three drivers had died.

Mayor of S Africa’s Pretoria ‘carjacked’ by armed gang

JOHANNESBURG: The mayor of South African capital Pretoria was ”carjacked” outside a restaurant on Saturday by an armed gang that stole his silver Mercedes Benz. Solly Msimanga, 37, has been mayor of Tshwane, the official name of Pretoria city and surrounding districts, since the opposition Democratic Alliance party won local elections in 2016. Violent crime is notoriously common in South Africa, with armed robbery, rape, carjacking and muggings among the biggest threats.

Taliban suicide bombing kills 2 Afghan soldiers

KANDAHAR: A suicide car bomber struck Afghan troops outside an army base in the southern Helmand province on Sunday, killing at least two of them in an attack claimed by the Taliban. Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the governor of Helmand, said four other soldiers were wounded in the attack in the Nad Ali district. He said the large explosion could be heard from far away, and that the toll could rise. AP

Six militants killed in Pakistan’s Punjab province

LAHORE: Six militants, involved in the killing of a brigadier of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI and several deadly blasts, were shot dead on Sunday during an encounter with the security forces in Punjab, a media report said. According to the counterterrorism department, the suspects were also involved in the blast near the residence-cum-office of Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Shari last year that claimed 26 lives.