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7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Pakistan, at least 52 dead

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pakistan-earthquake

by Dawn

Islamabad: A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck major cities of Pakistan, including the northern areas, on Monday, leaving at least 52 dead and scores injured due to roof and building collapses.

The earthquake struck the country at 2:09pm today (Monday).

Forty minutes after the first earthquake, an aftershock of 4.8 magnitude was reported in the same area. Aftershocks are expected to continue in the affected areas.

The magnitude of today’s earthquake is close to the previous earthquake of 2005, but the destruction was more widespread then due to the shallow epicentre of the earthquake.

The earthquake in 2005 was at a depth of 26 km, while today’s earthquake was at a depth of 212.5 km, according to analyst Faheem Zaman.

Authorities in Peshawar have provided the following numbers for the victims:

091921302 and 091921138

52 dead across Pakistan

Atleast 18 people were killed in Peshawar city, according to PTI leader Mushtaq Ghani.

Eight people, including women and children, were killed in Swat, while four people were killed in the Bajaur tribal region after buildings collapsed in the area.

An eight-year-old child was killed in Kallar Kahar, whereas one casualty was also reported from Kasur after the roof of a house collapsed.

A 14-year-old child died in the Islamgarh area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Mirpur region after a school wall collapsed.

A wall collapsed in Sargodha, killing one woman and injuring 10 people, while three are injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

13 people were killed in Chitral, which is closest to the epicentre of the earthquake. A child has reportedly died a the roof of a house collapsed in Raja Bazaar area of Rawalpindi.

One child was killed after the wall of a school collapsed in Miani Adda area of Punjab’s Chakwal district. Three people will reported killed in Gilgit-Baltistan.

-Photo courtesy Hussain Nagri

-Photo courtesy Hussain Nagri

Several landslides have been reported in mountainous areas of the country, leading to fears that the death toll may increase.

Scores injured

At least 194 injured were brought to Swat’s Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital, which does not have adequate medical facilities.

More than 100 wounded have been admitted to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital.

Tremors have been felt in major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Kohat and Malakand.

Paramedics treat a man injured in an earthquake at a hospital in Peshawar on October 26, 2015. -AFP

Rescue 1122 has been put on high alert in Punjab. The disaster response force is on standby and a code red has been imposed, Director General Rescue Punjab Retd Brig Dr Ashraf Zia said. Rescue 1122 Spokesman Jam Sajjad said there were no reports of any deaths in Lahore.

A patient is brought to a hospital after severe earthquake was felt in Mingora, the main town of Pakistan’s Swat valley. -AP

Communication services have been disrupted in Islamabad, where walls swayed back and forth and people poured out of office buildings in a panic, reciting verses from the Holy Quran.

A building has also reportedly collapsed in Peshawar. Several mud huts collapsed in Balochistan’s Zhob district.

Citizens took to social media to post reports of the massive quake that lasted for up to one minute.

Tremors were also felt in Kabul and New Delhi.

The full extent of the damage and the number of possible casualties is not yet known.

7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially measured the quake’s intensity at 7.7 then revised it down to 7.6 and later to 7.5.

Vineet Gahlot, the director of seismology at the Indian Meteorological Department, said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and an epicentre deep in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Pakistan state TV reported the same magnitude.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department, however, said the magnitude of the earthquake was 8.1.

The quake was 196km deep and centred 82km southeast of Feyzabad in a remote area of Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range.

According to USGS, the epicentre is 67km from Chitral.

Rescue operation

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed all federal, civil, military and provincial agencies to declare an immediate alert and mobilise all resources to ensure the security of citizens of Pakistan. All agencies have been directed to move out with their resources.

The prime minister has contacted Governor KP and has directed him to mobilise tribal administration immediately for relief, rescue and damage assessment in the affected regions.

On the directions of the PM a crisis cell has also been formed to coordinate with all federal, civil, military and provincial agencies for damage assessment and rescue and relief efforts. The cell will work round the clock.

The premier has also directed Governor Gilgit Baltistan to immediately reach Gilgit and take charge of rescue and relief efforts in the region.

Joint Secretary Prime Minister Office Kazim Niaz will head crisis management cell at Prime Minister Office. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), respective Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Inter-Servies Publis Relations (ISPR) and Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) will be part of the crisis management cell.

President Mamnoon Hussain has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the natural calamity.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has directed army personnel to reach out where required to help affected people without waiting for orders.

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif is on his way to Peshawar, to personally supervise rescue and relief efforts.

Pakistan and the region, along an active continental plate boundary, is often hit by earthquakes. In September 2013, a magnitude-7.7 quake struck Pakistan’s Balochistan province, killing around 800 people. In 2005, the country was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless.

Afghanistan and India

Afghanistan’s CEO Abdullah Abdullah said reports of damage and injuries were coming in from Afghanistan’s northeast.

According initial reports, 15 people have been killed in Afghanistan.

“Disasters authorities to meet within the hour and respond to the needs,“ he tweeted.

Traffic came to a stop in downtown Kabul, with people getting out of their cars as they waited for the quake to pass.

Afghan media reported the deaths of 21 people and 40 wounded.

As buildings shook throughout north India, hundreds of people poured onto the streets from office blocks, hospitals and homes, AFP reporters and TV footage showed.

Delhi’s metro ground to a halt during the tremor although the airport continued operating.

“All of around 190 trains plying on the tracks were stopped at the time of the earthquake. The lines and the trains are now being restored after basic inspection of respective lines,” Anuj Dayal, Delhi Metro spokesman told AFP.

Cell phone networks were down in the Kashmir region.

An Abbottabad resident, Shoaib, told Dawn.com the earthquake triggered landslides in the area.

In pictures shared by Islamabad residents on Twitter, people are seen standing on roads after feeling tremors.

Sushma Swaraj welcomes ‘India’s daughter’ Geeta

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Sushma Swaraj Geeta

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday welcomed Geeta, the speech and hearing impaired Indian woman, on her arrival in India.

“Geeta – Welcome home our daughter.,” tweeted Swaraj.

Escorted by five members of the Edhi Foundation, Geeta emerged from the special entrance at the IGI airport surrounded by officials.

Swaraj will brief the media at 3 p.m. today with details about Geeta’s arrival. Pakistan’s High Commissioner Abdul Basit will host Geeta and the Edhi delegation this evening.

She will be handed over to her real parents after the DNA test. The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said if the DNA does not match then she will be accommodated at either of the two identified institutions in Delhi and Indore.

Geeta was reportedly just seven or eight years old when she was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by the Pakistan Rangers 15 years ago at the Lahore railway station. The police then took her to the Edhi Foundation in Lahore and later she was shifted to Karachi.

(ANI)

Muslim woman’s body dug out from grave, raped to stoke communal violence

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grave-yard

Meerut: In an apparent attempt to stoke communal violence, a group of miscreants, said to be activists of a communal group, dug out the body of a woman from her grave and allegedly raped the corpse.

 

The incident took place at Talheta village near the border of Meerut and Ghaziabad districts in Uttar Pradesh. The woman had been buried two days before the incident took place.

The 26-year-old, who was pregnant, died of complications after she suffered a miscarriage. The village, which falls under Ghaziabad district, is less than 70 km from the national capital. While police have said that rape has not been established, they said it was an attempt to stoke “communal violence” in the region since the woman belonged to the minority community.

In the morning, the woman’s corpse was found lying 20 meters from her grave. The woman had no clothes on when she was found. Village residents immediately informed the woman’s family and then informed the police.

Station officer at Bhojpur police station said, “Locals have claimed that the miscreants sexually exploited the corpse. However, there is nothing as of now that can establish that fact. It is certain, however, that the woman was dug out of her grave. We have sent the body for postmortem and we cannot file a case of rape until it can be ascertained via the postmortem report. The CMO of Ghaziabad district has said that it is highly improbable that someone can rape a corpse after it has been in the grave for a full day.”

When asked what other possible theory the cops have, the SO said, “Since the woman who was dug out belonged to the minority community, we think it is an attempt to stoke communal violence in the village. The miscreants had even robbed the woman of her clothes. We are keeping a close eye on the situation and are investigating the case. We registered a case under sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 297 (trespassing on burial places) of the Indian Penal Code. The investigation will move forward once the postmortem report is back.”

(Agencies)

Chhota Rajan arrested in Bali, says report; others say it’s Cyanide Mohan

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Chhota-Rajan

Jakarta: Indonesian police officials said that they have arrested a wanted criminal from India in Bali but there was little clarity on whether it was gangster Chhota Rajan, who has been on the run for decades, or serial killer Mohan Kumar better known as ‘Cyanide Mohan’.

Acting on a tip-off from Australian police, Indonesian authorities detained Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje better known as Chhota Rajan on Sunday as he arrived in the popular resort island of Bali from Sydney, Bali police spokesman Heri Wiyanto told media.

 

The 55-year-old Nikalje, an gangster from India, had been on the run for two decades, Wiyanto said, with Interpol flagging him as a wanted man back in 1995.

“We received information from police in Canberra yesterday (Sunday) about the red notice for a murderer,” he said.

“We arrested the man at the airport yesterday. What we know is that this man was suspected to have carried out 15 to 20 murders in India.”

Tribun Regional reported that the person arrested was Mohan Kumar but the photograph used to identify him bears closer resemblance to Nikalje.

However, another police official said that the arrested individual was Mohan Kumar, a former Indian primary school teacher, facing the death penalty for the murders of 20 young women.

Mohan Kumar is accused of using cyanide to kill the women from 2003 to 2009. A court in the southern Indian city of Mangalore sentenced him to death in December 2013.

Bali police were coordinating with Interpol and Indian authorities, Wiyanto said, adding it was likely Nikalje would be deported to India.

A spokesperson for Australian Federal Police said Interpol in Canberra had alerted Indonesian authorities “who apprehended Nikalje at the request of Indian authorities”.

The federal police confirmed last month that Nikalje was living in Australia under another identity and had been in discussions with Indian authorities, the spokesperson said, but would not provide further details.

Interpol’s website states that Nikalje was born in the Indian city of Mumbai, and was wanted for multiple charges including murder and possession and use of illegal firearms.

However, the official from Denpasar said that they had arrested Kumar based on a red corner notice from Interpol.

Kumar was arrested Sunday after arriving at Bali’s airport from Sydney, based on a red corner notice from Interpol and following a tip from Australian authorities, said Denpasar Police chief detective Reinhard Habonaran Nainggolan.

Media in India have portrayed Kumar, 56, known as Cyanide Mohan, as a serial killer who preyed on women looking for marriage.
Nainggolan said police were questioning Kumar and coordinating with Indian diplomats.

He said Kumar told police that he had been hiding in Australia for years to avoid arrest, and had planned a 15-day vacation in Bali.

Kumar faces possible deportation, which could happen in days, or extradition, which could take more than a month, Nainggolan said.

(Agencies)

Ranji Trophy: Ugly scene at Kotla as Gambhir, Tiwary nearly exchange blows

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Gambhir-Tiwary

New Delhi: There were ugly scenes at Feroz Shah Kotla ground as rival captains Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary nearly came to exchanging blows during the Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Bengal, here on Saturday.

Situation came to such a pass that umpire K Srinath had to come between the two players as Gambhir moved towards Tiwary to hit him and he also came charging at the Delhi skipper.

In fact in an unprecedented ugly gesture, Gambhir even pushed umpire Srinath, who was trying to get him out of the way to hit Tiwary.
Touching umpire is a grave offence in cricket, which could invite a ban.

The incident happened in 7.1 over when Partha Sarathi Bhattacharjee got out of Manan Sharma’s bowling and Tiwary came in to bat at No. 4 wearing a cap.

Tiwary first took guard and was about to take strike. But he stopped the bowler and signalled at the dressing room to bring his helmet as a pacer was operating from the other end.

Delhi players felt that it was a deliberate time wasting tactic.

Manan ticked off Manoj and he told him to lay off. All of a sudden, Gambhir, at first slip, got into the action and started abusing the Bengal skipper, who then retaliated.

Suddenly all hell broke loose as Gambhir said: “Shaam ko mil tujhe maroonga (Meet me in the evening, I will hit you). And Tiwary retorted, saying: “Shaam kya abhi bahar chal (Why wait till evening, let’s go out and settle it now”).

Umpire Srinath then sprinted from bowler’s end.

Gambhir with his fists raised charged towards Tiwary, who was also not ready to back down. Umpire Srinath came in the middle, but Gambhir to everyone’s horror pushed the umpire trying to get him out of the way.

Manoj was then seen shouting at Gambhir, saying: “Did I tell you anything? Why did you have to come in between.”

Both Tiwary and Gambhir will be summoned by the match referee Valmick Buch.

(PTI)

Maharashtra CM relief fund sponsors dance troupe’s Thailand visit

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Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved Rs 8 lakh for a government employees dance troupe to participate in a competition in Bangkok in December.

Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai: The sanction of Rs eight lakh from Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for a dance troupe’s visit to Thailand has sparked a row with the opposition questioning the BJP-led government’s “priorities” at a time when the state is reeling under severe drought.

An RTI query filed by activist Anil Galgali found that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved Rs 8 lakh for a government employees dance troupe to participate in a competition in Bangkok in December. He sanctioned the sum that was transferred to Sachivalaya Gymkhana for the dance contest.

However, an official of the CMO said there is no wrongdoing in disbursing of the fund.

Registered in 1967 with the charity commissioner, the CM’s relief fund can be used for funding cultural activities, the official said, amid mounting criticism of the move.

Maharashtra Congress General Secretary Sanjay Dutt said the government’s priorities are flawed. “It attaches more importance to funds for dance than funds for drought,” he said.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik told PTI that the state government “which does not have funds to help cancer and heart patients, was very prompt in giving money for the dance troupe’s visit to Thailand”.

The government should recover the money and if it fails to do so, Fadnavis should pay from his pocket, he said.

The Gymkhana had sought aid to send its 15-member team of government employees to enable them to participate in a dance competition in Bangkok from December 26-30.

The 5th Cultural Olympiad of Performing Arts 2015 is being held in Bangkok by Global Council of Art and Culture.

In 2008, former CIC Shailesh Gandhi had revealed through RTI that public money collected between 2003 and 2005, when Congress-NCP regime was in power, went to the organisers of a kabaddi competition, a women’s football match, a ghazal contest, a Marathi actor’s fan club and a Congress MLA’s religious congregation.

“The disbursement of the fund is made at the discretion of the Chief Minister, and in accordance with the Chief Ministers directions,” said the official.

The official from CMO said the funds were granted for government employees and were not for any commercial performance. “There is no wrongdoing while disbursing the funds,” he said.

Galgali, who had sought details about the funds, claimed it “is clear violation of rules governing the CM Relief Fund at a time when the state is facing the severe brunt of drought, which has fueled a spate of suicides amongst farmers in the state”.

“Common man from all walks of life including students are chipping in their best to the CM Relief Fund so as to enable the CM and the government to provide maximum relief to the population hit by the calamity,” he said.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) of the CM Relief Fund Desk, in response to the RTI query, informed Galgali that the Sachivalya Gymkhana had sought assistance from the CM Relief Fund through a letter on August 25 this year to send its dance troupe to Thailand in December.

On August 27, the application was put up before Fadnavis as a special case and the assistance of Rs 8 lakh was immediately sanctioned by him. The fund was transferred to the account of the Sachivalaya Gymkhana (which is headed by the CM) on September 11, 2015.

The dance troupe is slated to participate in the competition being held at Akshara theatre in Bangkok, which is organised by private bodies like Akhil Bhartiya Sanskrutik Sangh and the Global Council of Art and Culture comprising 15 artists for which Rs 50,000 each has been sanctioned totaling Rs 7,50,000.

Another Rs 50,000 has been additionally sanctioned to cover other miscellaneous expenses during the trip taking the overall total to Rs 8 lakh.

A PIL is pending before the Mumbai High Court against the adhoc functioning of the CM Relief Fund, due to which the government had taken a policy decision to keep on hold the applications of personal nature and also of Institutions seeking assistance.

The purpose of the CM Relief Fund is to provide immediate help to those effected by disaster within the Maharashtra state or anywhere in the country. The victims or survivors of disasters such as floods, drought, accidents due to fire or any other major natural calamities are provided immediate assistance from the CM Relief Fund.

Assistance is also provided to economically backward sections among the communities in cases of medical treatment for various critical ailments, Galgali said.

Meanwhile, clarifying on the fund misuse row, a CMO official said, “this money granted has nothing to do with drought donations since that money is secured in Mukhyamantri Sahaayta Nidhi-Jalyukta Shivar, CM Relief Fund-Dushkaal Nidhi, Corporate social responsibility-CM Relief Fund and CM Earthquake Relief Fund…all these other accounts are operated but called as CM Relief Fund.

“Whatever donations are received are deposited in these concerned accounts… so there can’t be misuse of drought donation. This particular cultural and medical assistance is given from the general contributions.”

“It wasn’t a commercial event but was performing cultural/art competition. CM Relief Fund has separate accounts for drought relief, Jalyukt Shivar and others. The fund used here is neither from drought relief nor Jalyukt Shivar,” he said.

He said Government employees are not entitled for any other private aid for cultural activities and “this is the only way they can get the aid. This aid is as per the GR followed since years. 25 per cent funds can be spent on cultural activities. There’s no change done in it by this government.”

(PTI)

Saina Nehwal loses to Ratchanok in French Open quarters

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Sania-Nehwal

Paris: Leading Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal suffered a stunning defeat in straight games against Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the women’s singles quarter-finals of the $275,000 French Open Super series here on Friday.

Top seed and world No.2 Saina lost 9-21, 15-21 in 39 minutes against 2013 world champion Ratchanok at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin to bring an end to the Indian campaign at the tournament.

With this win, 20-year-old world No.7 Ratchanok improved her head-to-head record to 4-6 against the 25-year-old Olympic bronze medallist and 2015 World Championships silver medallist.

Saina was not at her best on Friday and Ratchanok pounced on every mistakes and weaknessess shown by the Indian.

The Thai held a 6-4 lead initially that swelled to 10-5 as she bagged four consecutive points. Ratchanok employed her trademark deceptive shots and Saina had no answer to them. She was not good at net-play and movement, too.

This allowed Ratchanok to snatch eight points on the trot to hold an 18-5 lead and later win 21-9.

She continued the momentum in the second game and dominated Saina from the outset. A 4-0 lead at the beginning meant Saina always trailed her. Ratchanok stamped her authority to race to an 11-5 lead at the break.

Saina played a bit better after the break. She collected 10 points – the same as Ratchanok – after the break.

But there was not stopping the three-time former world junior champion Ratchanok as she pocketed the second game 21-15 and entered the semi-final.

(IANS)

Mexico braces for Hurricane Patricia: ‘strongest storm ever measured’

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‘An extremely dangerous, potentially catastrophic hurricane,’ warns the National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Patricia became a Category 5 storm overnight and the National Hurricane Center has said it is the most powerful storm of its kind ever recorded on the planet. Mexico has declared a state of emergency over a massive area as landfall looms. (Photo: NOAA/National Hurricane Center)

Hurricane Patricia became a Category 5 storm overnight and the National Hurricane Center has said it is the most powerful storm of its kind ever recorded on the planet. Mexico has declared a state of emergency over a massive area as landfall looms. (Photo: NOAA/National Hurricane Center)

by Jon Queally, Common Dreams

A state of emergency has been declared over large sections along Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday as Hurricane Patricia, listed now as a Category 5 and described as the “strongest storm ever measured on the planet.”

With sustained winds of over 160 mph and maximum speeds of 200 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center described Patricia as the “strongest hurricane on record” in eastern North Pacific Basins and forecasters are warning that coupled with those devastating winds, a powerful storm surge—featuring giagantic waves and massive inland flooding—could overwhelm coastal regions when it makes landfall in the coming hours.

“This is an extremely dangerous, potentially catastrophic hurricane,” said NHC meteorologist Dennis Feltgen.

Writing for the Weather Underground blog, meteorologist Bob Henson said that “history is being made” as experts assessed the size and strength of the unprecedented storm. “Late Thursday night,” Henson reports, “an Air Force Hurricane Hunter flight captured some of the most extreme observations ever recorded in 70 years of reconnaissance activity.”

In a subsequent post, Henson and his colleague Jeff Masters characterized the storm in even more dramatic terms:

Stunning, historic, mind-boggling, and catastrophic: that sums up Hurricane Patricia, which intensified to an incredible-strength Category 5 storm with 200 mph winds overnight. At 2:46 am EDT October 23, 2015 an Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft measured a central pressure of 880 mb in Patricia, making it the most intense hurricane ever observed in the Western Hemisphere. The aircraft measured surface winds of 200 mph, which are the highest reliably-measured surface winds on record for a tropical cyclone, anywhere on the Earth.

Using predictions of the storm’s path, the Mexican government declared a state of emergency for 56 municipalities in the coastal states of Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco. Residents in those areas were being told to prepare for the “worst-case scenario” and government emergency agencies were using the hashtag #PrevenirEsVivir (“to prevent is to live”) to remind citizens of hurricane safety protocols.

This satellite image on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Patricia moving over Mexico’s central Pacific Coast. (NOAA via AP)

Regarding the unprecedented strength of the storm, Weather.com adds:

Hurricane Patricia became the strongest Pacific hurricane on record shortly after midnight CDT early Friday. Air Force Hurricane Hunters had flown through the eye of Patricia and reported a sea-level pressure of 894 millibars as measured by a dropsonde inside the eye itself. Wind measurements suggested that the pressure measurement was not in the exact center of the eye and was probably not the absolute lowest pressure, prompting NHC to estimate the minimum central pressure at 892 millibars in its special 12:30 a.m. CDT advisory.

Current wind reports at selected cities in Mexico. Some sites do not report at all times of day. Enhanced satellite imagery shows the cloud pattern in and around the hurricane.

Tropical cyclone strength comparisons are typically based on minimum central pressure. At 892 millibars, Patricia shattered the Eastern Pacific basin’s previous record of 902 millibars set by Hurricane Linda in 1997.

While a number of typhoons in the western North Pacific have been stronger, Patricia is by far the strongest hurricane in any basin where the term “hurricane” applies to tropical cyclones – namely, the central and eastern North Pacific basins and the North Atlantic basin, which includes the North Atlantic Ocean itself plus the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.

Suicide blasts strike two mosques in northeast Nigeria

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At least 55 killed and more wounded after explosions hit mosques in state capitals of Adamawa and Borno.

Radio stations called for blood donations to help the victims of the blasts [AP]

Radio stations called for blood donations to help the victims of the blasts [AP]

by Al Jazeera

At least 55 people have died and almost 100 were wounded after suicide bombings that struck two mosques in different cities in northeast Nigeria, officials said.

A massive blast in Yola, the capital of Adamawa state, killed 27 people and wounded about 96 others during a Friday afternoon prayer that included officials helping to inaugurate a new mosque, said Saad Bello of the National Emergency Management Agency.

Earlier on Friday in the city of Maiduguri – the capital of Borno state and birthplace of the armed group Boko Haram, another suicide bomber killed 28 people in an explosion at a mosque.

Radio stations broadcast urgent appeals for blood donations for the victims. “We call on individuals to come and donate blood to save all lives,” Bello said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either attack, but they appeared to bear the hallmarks of Boko Haram.

The group has in recent months resorted to increasingly attacking “soft targets” since the Nigerian army, backed by other African nations, seized large parts of the group’s stronghold in the country’s northeast.

Maldives arrests vice president for ‘assassination bid’

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Ahmed Adeeb detained on suspicion of links to blast on presidential boat which country’s leader escaped unharmed.

Gayoom escaped the blast on his boat unhurt but his wife, an aide and a bodyguard were injured [Waleed Mohamed/Reuters]

Gayoom escaped the blast on his boat unhurt but his wife, an aide and a bodyguard were injured [Waleed Mohamed/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Maldives police have arrested Vice President Ahmed Adeeb on suspicion of links to a blast on the presidential boat last month that President Yameen Abdul Gayoom escaped unharmed.

Police spokesman Ismail Ali said Adeeb was arrested on Saturday at the airport when he returned from an official visit to China. He said Adeeb has been taken to a detention centre on an island.

Daniel Bosley, a Reuters journalist reporting from the Maldives’ capital Male, told Al Jazeera that it was described as the most anticipated arrival in the country’s history because there was a lot of suspicion and rumours during Adeeb’s week-long visit to China that he would be arrested.

The September 28 explosion took place on board the speedboat when Gayoom and his wife were returning to the capital from the airport after a Hajj journey to Saudi Arabia. The airport of the archipelago state is on a separate island.

Gayoom escaped unhurt but his wife, an aide and a bodyguard were injured.

Authorities said initially the blast could be a result of a mechanical failure.

But they announced later the blast was an attempt to assassinate Gayoom and launched a criminal investigation. The device was placed under the seat usually occupied by the president, who escaped unhurt because he was not sitting there, the government said.

Adeeb has denied that he was linked to the explosion, the AP news agency reported.

Adeeb was a staunch Gayoom loyalist and became the vice president in July at the age of 33. Gayoom was instrumental in promoting Adeeb from tourism minister after the president got his lawmakers in parliament to impeach the previous vice president, Mohamed Jameel.

Lawmakers also lowered the minimum age for president or vice president from 35 to 30 to enable Adeeb to take the position.

Weeks after the blast, however, it was apparent that Gayoom suspected his vice president was involved, orchestrating a series of raids on homes and businesses of Adeeb’s associates.

Gayoom also sacked his defense minister and the police commissioner after the blast.

“At the moment the country is without a defence minister or chief of police, and now it seems (it will lose) its vice president because there has been a huge reshuffle after the explosion,” Bosley added.

 

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