6 killed in car bomb attack in Philippines
Manila, July 31 : Six people, including a soldier and four militia men, were killed on Tuesday when a powerful bomb apparently rigged to a vehicle exploded in the southern Philippines island of Basilan.
A military report said the attack occurred at 5:50 a.m. local time in a village in Lamitan City on Basilan, an island province off Mindanao.
The incident report said a "white van" was detonated at a military checkpoint in Colonia village in Lamitan City.
"While troops were conducting ocular inspection, the van suddenly exploded which resulted (in) the death of one soldier and four (militia men) and wounding of two other militia men," Xinhua quoted the report as saying.
The military said the Abu Sayyaf militants may have been behind the attack.
Abu Sayyaf Group is a small, violent, and faction-ridden jihadist groups that operates in the western fringes of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao and on the Sulu islands extending from Mindanao. They are notorious for carrying out bombings in southern Philippines.
The group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and has carried out kidnappings for ransom of both foreigners and Filipinos.
Authorities said the group, which was set up in the 1990s, is thought to be holding a number of hostages which they keep in the jungles of Basilan and Sulu, their stronghold.
The Abu Sayyaf helped the Maute militants in attacking Marawi City in May last year, triggering a five-month fierce battle that left more than 1,200 dead.
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PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer fined for slow over rate vs CSK
Chennai (PTI): Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer was fined Rs 24 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate during his team’s IPL 2026 match against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here.
The last season's runners-up PBKS secured their second sucessive win, defeating five-time champions Chennai Super Kings by five wickets here on Friday.
As this was Punjab Kings’ second offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL Code of Conduct, which relates to minimum over-rate violations, the penalty was enhanced and Iyer was fined Rs 24 lakh, said the IPL media advisory.
"The rest of the members of the Playing XI, including the Impact Player, will be fined either INR six lakhs or 25 per cent of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser," it added.
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