Monsoon death toll in Pak’s Punjab rises to 166
LAHORE, Aug 10: The monsoon death toll in Pakistan’s Punjab province has risen to 166, with recent fatalities reported in Sialkot and Jhelum. Torrential rains have swept across multiple cities, with Sialkot receiving the heaviest downpour. Lahore experienced flooding in several areas, disrupting power and prompting the cancellation of public events. A total of 164 deaths, 82 injuries, 121 livestock losses, and 216 destroyed homes have been reported. The PDMA has warned of low-level flooding in some rivers, with Tarbela Dam nearing full capacity. Section 144 has been imposed near water bodies, and residents in vulnerable areas are urged to stay alert. (IANS)
China issues level-IV flood alert in Sichuan
BEIJING, Aug 10: China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has activated a Level-IV emergency response for Sichuan Province due to forecasts of heavy to torrential rainfall from August 9–11. The national observatory issued a yellow alert, with intense downpours expected across multiple provinces, including Jiangsu, Hubei, Henan, Sichuan, and others. Some areas may receive up to 230 mm of rain, with hourly precipitation exceeding 80 mm. China’s Ministry of Water Resources also activated a Level-IV response for five regions, warning of rising water levels in the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. Authorities were urged to enhance monitoring, issue alerts, and prepare for evacuations. (IANS)
Govt school bombed in NW Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Aug 10: Militants blew up a government high school in Karabagh, South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on Sunday using an improvised explosive device, severely damaging classrooms and the boundary wall. No casualties were reported. The attack is part of a surge in violence disrupting education and infrastructure, including the recent destruction of three bridges on the Wana-Azam Warsak highway. Residents demand improved security. Similar attacks, often by splinter groups of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have targeted schools—especially for girls—across the province. Over 450 schools have been destroyed since 2015, highlighting the region’s long-standing threat to education. (PTI)
Bangladesh journalist and mother assaulted
DHAKA, Aug 10: A journalist, Helal Hossain Kabir, and his mother were brutally assaulted in Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh, amid rising violence against media workers. Kabir, executive editor of Alormoni, was attacked by a group allegedly linked to a local criminal he had exposed months earlier. Police have arrested one suspect and are pursuing others. The victims are under treatment but stable. The assault follows the recent murder of journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin and another attack on reporter Anwar Hossain Sourav in Gazipur. Media groups and journalists have condemned the wave of violence under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, demanding justice and press freedom protections. (IANS)