Briefs, February 7, 2013
The Maldives is to hold a presidential poll on September 7, the first since the archipelago's first democratically elected leader was toppled in what he called a coup, the government said.
COLOMBO - The Maldives is to hold a presidential poll on September 7, the first since the archipelago's first democratically elected leader was toppled in what he called a coup, the government said. The Maldives has been in political turmoil ever since Mohamed Nasheed stepped down as president on February 7 last year. He later declared that he was forced out of office in a coup backed by the security forces and Islamic extremists. Nasheed, 45, has won nominations from his Maldivian Democratic Party to run for the presidency. AFP
PESHAWAR - A Pakistani official says flash floods following torrential rains in the northwest this week have killed 29 people. A spokesman for the disaster management authority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said most of the casualties died when their homes collapsed. Adnan Khan says 75 people were also reported injured in the floods. He says the rains, which started on Monday, damaged about 1,400 homes. AP