In Brief

Dhaka justifies taking down Durga temple

Dhaka: Bangladesh has said that it remains firmly committed to safeguarding the rights of all communities and protecting places of worship but building religious structures on public land, belonging to the railways in this case, is not permissible “under any circumstance”. This comes as India denounced the destruction of a Durga temple.

30 die in Pakistan pre-monsoon rain

Lahore: At least 34 persons, including 16 children, died and 46 injured in separate rain-related incidents over the last three days as heavy rains of pre-monsoon showers lashed across many regions of Pakistan, officials said Saturday. At least 19 people were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province while 15 persons were killed in Punjab.

Fate of Pak’s KPK govt hangs in balance

Peshawar: The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa faces an existential threat in wake of the Supreme Court decision that the PTI party were ineligible for reserved seats. It is speculated if the reserved seats go to other parties and the independents jump ship the government would collapse. 

Putin accuses West of inciting separatism

Moscow: President Vladimir Putin has accused the Western nations of encouraging separatism in Russia. “No one has paid attention to the Islamic State, as long as it operates against Russia. Explosions in Moscow, and all that. This is still happening,” Putin said.