Pak blast kills three, 13 hurt
Peshawar, Aug 7: At least three people were killed and 13 others, including three police personnel, injured in a bomb blast in northwestern Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday, police said. District Police Officer Tahir Shah said the improvised explosive device (IED) blast occurred close to a police patrol vehicle near a taxi stand in Wana tehsil in South Waziristan district. At least two people were killed on the spot and another succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. Tahir said security forces have been deployed in the area following the blast and subsequent firing. The injured were shifted to Wana Headquarters Hospital. Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in terrorist attacks, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. (PTI)
Iowa shooting, blast, fire kill two, injure one critically
GLENWOOD, Aug 7: A shooting and subsequent explosion and fire in a house in western Iowa have left two people dead and a third critically injured. Glenwood Police Chief Eric Johansen confirmed that at least two people were shot in the home. An explosion shortly after the shootings led to a raging fire. A person of interest in the shootings and fire was taken into custody, but the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the killings. Police have not released the names of those involved, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has not immediately returned phone and email messages. The police chief stated that this has been determined to be an isolated incident and there is no further threat to the community. (AP)
South Korea moves to arrest ex-President Yoon’s wife
SEOUL, Aug 7: South Korean investigators have requested a warrant to arrest the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Keon Hee, over suspicions of bribery, stock manipulation, and political influence-peddling. Yoon resisted an attempt to compel him to appear for questioning in his wife’s case, forcing prison officials to abandon their efforts after an hourlong struggle due to concerns of injury. The investigation targeting Yoon’s wife is one of three separate special prosecutor probes launched under the government of new liberal President Lee Jae Myung related to Yoon, who was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over his brief imposition of martial law in December. The investigation team questioned Kim for about seven hours on various allegations, including claims that Yoon and Kim exerted undue influence over the conservative party’s candidate nominations for a parliamentary by-election in 2022. Kim is also suspected of receiving a necklace and other gifts through a fortuneteller acting as an intermediary for a Unification Church official seeking business favors, and of possible involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme. The warrant request for Kim lists multiple charges, including violations of financial market and political funding laws and acceptance of bribes. (AP)