Explosion at coal mine in eastern Iran kills at least 34 workers
Tehran, Sep 22: An explosion in a coal mine in eastern Iran killed at least 34 workers and injured 17 others, officials said Sunday, marking one of the worst mining disasters in the country’s history as others remained missing hours after the blast. The blast struck a coal mine in Tabas, about 540 km southeast of the capital, Tehran, on Saturday night. By Sunday, weeping miners stood alongside mine cars that brought up the bodies of their colleagues, all covered in coal dust. Around 70 people had been working at the time of the blast. State television later said that 17 were believed to be trapped at a depth of 200 metres down a 700-metre tunnel. However, figures kept changing throughout Sunday regarding the disaster in the rural area with some reports suggesting the death toll was higher. (AP)
Russia strikes apartment in Kharkiv, over 20 injured
Kyiv, Sep 22: Russian strikes hit high-rise apartment blocks in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, leaving dozens wounded in a second consecutive nighttime attack this week. The bombs fell Saturday night on the district of Shevchenkivsky, in Ukraine’s northeast, local Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Residential 16 and 9-storied buildings were destroyed, and seven more buildings were damaged, he added. Twenty-one people were wounded, including an eight-year-old, two 17-year-olds and several older adults, according to Syniehubov and Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov. The attack came after another late Friday that wounded 15 people, including a 10- and 12-year-old, as Russian airstrikes hit three Kharkiv neighbourhoods, Terekhov said. (AP)
Fugitive radical preacher Zakir Naik to tour Pak in October
Islamabad, Sep 22: Zakir Naik, the controversial religious figure who is wanted by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his involvement in unlawful activities and promoting religious hatred, will be visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Shehbaz Sharif government to deliver a series of public lectures in major cities, next month. As per the announcement made on his official social media page, Naik and his son Fariq Naik will be visiting Pakistan to hold public gatherings in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. He will start his trip from October 5 in Karachi and conclude it in Islamabad on October 20. The visit has already raised eyebrows in India as Naik is a wanted fugitive who has been living in Malaysia for many years. In 2017, Bangladesh authorities claimed that one of the attackers on a cafe in Dhaka was inspired by Naik. The incident had left 22 people dead. Later that year, India’s NIA also accused Naik for indulging in unlawful activities and promoting religious hatred. Since then, Naik was forced to live in Malaysia, a country that has given him protection and allowed him to operate his organisation. Naik’s preferred destination after being asked to leave India was Pakistan. However, he decided to move to Malaysia and reasoned that if he would have moved to Pakistan, India would have labeled him as an ISI agent. (IANS)