Major blaze breaks out at ED office building in Mumbai; firefighting ops continue for over 6 hours
_vb_91.jpeg)
Mumbai (PTI): A major blaze broke out at the Enforcement Directorate's office building in south Mumbai in the early hours of Sunday, and the firefighting operations have continued for more than six hours, officials said.
There were no reports of casualties in the fire that broke out at the Kaiser-I-Hind building in the Ballard Estate area, they said.
Officials said the blaze, which started on the fourth floor of the five-storey building housing the ED office around 2.31 am, has continued to rage despite efforts.
Firefighters are struggling to bring the blaze under control, a fire brigade official said.
Mumbai Fire Bridge upgraded the fire to Level III at around 4.17 am, which is generally considered a major fire.
At least eight fire engines, six jetties, water tankers and other equipment have been deployed to the spot.
The official said several documents and equipment inside the office are feared to have been damaged.
He said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trump confronts South African president over killing of white farmers
Washington, May 21 (AP): President Donald Trump used a White House meeting to confront South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing his country of failing to address the killing of white farmers.
“People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety," said Trump, who at one point dimmed the lights in the Oval Office to play a video of a communist politician playing a controversial anti-apartheid song that includes lyrics about killing a farmer. "Their land is being confiscated and in many cases they're being killed."
Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump's accusation. The South African leader had sought to use the meeting to set the record straight and salvage his country's relationship with the United States. The bilateral relationship is at its lowest point since South Africa enforced its apartheid system of racial segregation, which ended in 1994.
“We are completely opposed to that,” Ramaphosa said of the behaviour alleged by Trump in their exchange.
Experts in South Africa say there is no evidence of whites being targeted, although farmers of all races are victims of violent home invasions in a country that suffers from a very high crime rate.
