Woman stoned to death in Pakistan for alleged adultery
Lahore, Sep 3: A woman was stoned to death in Pakistan’s Punjab province for allegedly committing adultery, police said on Sunday. The incident took place in Rajanpur district of Punjab, some 500 km from Lahore, on Friday. According to police, the husband of the woman, who is in her 20s, accused her of adultery. On Friday, the man along with his two brothers tied the woman against a tree and stoned her to death. Before stoning her, they also brutally tortured her. The brothers fled after committing the crime and are believed to be hiding at the border region between Punjab and Balochistan, police said. The woman belonged to the Alkani tribe of Rajanpur. A number of women are killed in Pakistan every year in the name of honour. According to human rights activists, around 1,000 women are killed in the name of honour every year in Pakistan. The victims are widely perceived to have brought shame and dishonour to their families either by marrying against their will or having an affair. Most often the family members are behind such killings. (PTI)
Typhoon Haikui brings Taiwan to standstill
Beijing, Sep 3: Taiwan suspended flights, rail transport and ferry services along with classes and outdoor events and urged workers to stay home on Sunday as Typhoon Haikui churned across the southern part of the island. The typhoon made landfall in Taitung county on the Pacific-facing east coast around 3 pm (0700 GMT) on Sunday, bringing sustained winds of 155 kph and gusts of 190 kph. The winds and driving rains forced in unsecured doors, uprooted trees – at least one of which crushed a parked minivan – and caused flooding in some low-lying areas. There had been no mass evacuations, although dozens sheltered in school gymnasiums and public meeting halls. There appeared to be little serious damage, and some shops remained open, partly to dispose of locally grown fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste. Haikui’s arrival came as Typhoon Saola continued to weaken while swirling along the Chinese coast, where 900,000 people and 80,000 fishing vessels had been moved to safety. (AP)
N Korea conducts simulated tactical nuclear attack
Seoul, Sep 3: A day after the North fired cruise missiles following major joint exercise between South Korea and the US, North Korea has conducted a drill for a “simulated tactical nuclear attack.” As per North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), “A firing drill for simulated tactical nuclear attack was conducted at dawn of September 2 to warn the enemies of the actual nuclear war danger.” “Two long-range strategic cruise missiles tipped with mock nuclear warheads were fired,” Yonhap news agency reported quoting the KCNA. On Saturday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North fired several cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea. The launch came two days after the allies wrapped up their 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise which Pyongyang has denounced as a rehearsal for invasion. (IANS)