Pak Presidential poll on Sept 4
PTI, Islamabad:
Pakistan will hold presidential elections on September 4 to elect President Mamnoon Hussain’s successor at the end of his five-year-tenure, the pakistan election commission announced today. Pakistan’s president is elected indirectly by the members of Parliament and the four provincial assemblies.
“Presidential election will be held on September 4,” the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said as it issued the schedule of the election.
Yemeni govt, Houthi movement peace talks on Sept 6: UN
Reuters, Geneva
The United Nations has invited the Yemeni government and the Houthi movement that controls most of the north to peace talks in Geneva on Sept. 6, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Friday.
U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is trying to negotiate an end to the three-year conflict, which has killed more than 10,000 people and pushed Yemen to the verge of starvation.
Iraqi forces kill 28 IS militants
AP, Irbil
Iraqi security officials say Iraq’s air force carried out two airstrikes targeting Islamic State group inside Syria, killing at least 28 IS militants.
They say one of the two airstrikes by F-16s targeted a meeting of would-be suicide bombers who intended to strike in Iraq during next week’s Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.
Nepal adopts new criminal code
AFP, Kathmandu
Nepal introduced a new criminal code Friday that makes sharing confidential information a jailable offence, sparking concerns among journalists that the laws could be used to muzzle the press.
Media have warned that the Communist-led government, which has shown an increasing intolerance for dissent, could use the vaguely worded code to silence critics.
Snow falls in Sahara desert for third time
AP, Sahara
In order to single out the effects of climate change, the scientists used statistical methods to remove the effects natural climate cycles such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation had on rainfall variability.
Their results revealed a combination of natural climate cycles and human-caused climate change that have caused this effect over the past century – with the latter accounting for around a third of the increase.
Afghan air force kills 32 militants
Xinhua, Kabul
At least 32 Taliban militants were killed and 10 others wounded following airstrikes in two provinces within the past 24 hours, the Afghan Defense Ministry said Friday.
In one incident, 17 Taliban militants were killed and eight others wounded after a sortie struck a Taliban hideout in restive Bala Buluk district of western Farah province, the ministry said in a statement.
