Second Philippine mayor shot dead
Manila, July 4 : A second Philippines town mayor has been shot dead by an unknown assailant, a day after another mayor was assassinated by a sniper in a brazen daylight attack, police said on Wednesday.
Mayor Ferdinand Bote of the town of General Tinio in Nueva Ecija province was gunned down by a motorcycle-riding suspect in nearby Cabanatuan City on Tuesday afternoon, the police told CNN Philippines.
Bote was struck multiple times while riding in his SUV.
He was declared dead on arrival at a hospital and an investigation has been launched.
"We assure everyone that we would discharge the state obligation for every murder. We will spare no effort in getting to the bottom of this latest violent crime," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
The killing comes just over 24 hours after Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili was killed by a single shot to the chest while attending a flag-raising ceremony.
Halili was a controversial ally of President Rodrigo Duterte who gained notoriety for his policy of parading people arrested for drug offences, reports CNN.
It was revealed on Monday that Halili had been stripped of his authority over local police in October 2017 on an order from the Department of Interior, according to Police Chief Superintendent Renato Mercado.
It remains unclear if the two deaths are linked.
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Srinagar Airport ready for flight operations after AAI notice
Srinagar (PTI): The Srinagar International Airport is ready for flight operations after the Airports Authority of India announced the resumption of civilian flights at 32 such facilities.
These airports were temporarily shut last week in view of the military standoff between India and Pakistan. The AAI, along with other aviation authorities, had issued a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), announcing the closures across northern and western India.
On Monday, an official said, "Aerodrome closure NOTAM has been revoked and Srinagar Airport is ready to facilitate flight operations."
He said a response from airlines about the resumption of flights was awaited.
Hajj flights from Srinagar were also affected due to the closure of the Srinagar airport.
