6.8-magnitude quake rattles northeast Japan, no tsunami risk

TOKYO: A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan s northeastern coast on Saturday, authorities said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

At least three people were injured by Saturday s jolt, which produced strong shaking along parts of the eastern coast and was also felt in Tokyo.

There were no immediate reports of major damage, local media said.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the mid-morning quake hit at a depth of 47 kilometres (29 miles) in the Pacific, off Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture — near the epicentre of a huge 2011 quake which triggered a towering tsunami, killing more than 18,000 people.

Japan s meteorological agency said Saturday there was no tsunami risk.

But an agency official warned strong aftershocks may hit the region in about a week, adding that expected bad weather may trigger landslides following the latest ground shaking.

Two people were slightly injured after windows were broken at a station in Onagawa, Miyagi, public broadcaster NHK said.

“We are aware of the news but still collecting information,” Kazuto Takeda, an official of the prefecture s disaster management office, told AFP.

NHK also said a woman in her 80s was treated in hospital after she fell at a supermarket in Fukushima.

Local railway firms suspended services, NHK said, while elevators stopped in some buildings in Miyagi.

Fukushima nuclear plant operator TEPCO said the facility, which melted down in the wake of the 2011 tsunami, did not show any abnormalities after the latest earthquake.

“Operations are underway as usual,” TEPCO spokesman Koichiro Shiraki told AFP.

Japan sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

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131 more die to coronavirus as death toll crosses 18,000 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The novel coronavirus has claimed 113 more lives across Pakistan over the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll from the disease to 18,070.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data, 4,414 new infections were detected when 45,275 samples were tested during this period. The positivity rate of new cases was recorded at 9.74%, the NCOC said.

Statistics 2 May 21:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 45,275
Positive Cases: 4414
Positivity % : 9.74%
Deaths : 113

— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) May 1, 2021

The countrywide tally of confirmed cases climbed to 829,933 with the addition of 4, 414 new cases. Thus far, 722,202 patients have recuperated from the disease.

The number of Covid-19 patients in critical care across the country has climbed to 5,448.

Read more: Brazilian, South African variants of Covid-19 found in Pakistan

On Saturday, a spokesperson for the National Institute of Health (NIC) had confirmed that the Brazilian and South African variants of Covid-19 had been detected in Pakistan.

He had said both strains were found in samples the NIH received for testing, raising fears that these variants with a higher mortality rate could put a strain on the country’s already overwhelmed health facilities.

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Married woman ‘shot dead’ at parents’ place

A woman was allegedly shot dead at her parents’ home in Muzaffargarh on Saturday. The victim’s husband and parents held each other responsible of the murder and her brother snatched the body from the police because he didn’t want an autopsy. According to the police report, Masooma, 25, was present in a room of her parents’ house, located in the suburban Gujrat area when a gunshot was heard from the room. The family members peeped into the room through a window where they spotted the woman in a pool of blood. Upon information, SHO Mahmood Kot and reached the location. Masooma was found injured and rushed to a nearby basic health unit, from where she was referred to Indus Hospital in critical condition. However, she succumbed to injuries on way to the hospital. Police took the body to the THQ hospital, but her brother Ghazanfar intercepted the police van at Chowk Umar Farooq, along with unidentified accomplices and snatch the body from their custody because he didn't want the autopsy. The SHO contacted the DSP of Kot Addu to inform him about the situation. The DSP rushed to the spot with a heavy contingent of police. After conducting talks with the family of the decased, the police took the body from them for postmortem. The woman and her husband named Akash were married a year ago. The woman came to her parents' home reportedly after getting estranged with her husband. Her brother Ghazanfar suspected that she was killed by her husband. According to the police, the circumstances also indicated the possibility of the role of the brother in the murder. SHO Malik Saleem Lungryal said that all out efforts were being made to arrest the murderer. In a similar incident a few days ago, a man killed his ex-wife who had taken divorce from him. Police handed over the woman’s body to her heirs. According to the police report, a man allegedly shot dead his ex-wife in resentment over his divorce. Noorin Kausar, 38, a resident of Millat Town, frequently quarreled with her husband Sajid Khan after which she took divorce through a court. As a result, her ex-husband Sajid Khan, along with an accomplice Iftikhar Ahmed went to her house where he shot her in the head and fled. Millat Town police reached the spot, took the body into custody and handed it over to the heirs after postmortem. Police registered a case against the two nominated suspects on the statement of the deceased’s son, Arsalan Khan. According to SHO Millat Town Abid Hussain Jutt, the suspect Sajid Khan was released from jail a few days ago in a drug case. During his imprisonment, his wife had taken khula through the court due to his bad character, which enraged him and he allegedly murdered his wife. The victim was a mother of four children. Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2021.

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Man ‘loses large amount in digital heist’

A municipal corporation superintendent’s bank account was allegedly hacked and Rs182,000 were transferred in an online robbery. According to the police, the official has applied for registration of a case. The police said his case will be registered as a cybercrime. According to sources, Rs182,000 was transferred from the bank account of the Okara Municipal Corporation garden superintendent. The complainant, Qaiser Nagi, said that he received a phone call from a man posing as a bank employee who asked for some personal data. Shortly after his refusal to provide information due to suspicion, a call came from a landline number. The caller, claiming to be a deputy director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), said that a complaint had been filed against him and that was why his data was being collected from the bank. He reportedly said, “Now you will receive a call again. If you don’t provide them the information, a case will be registered against you.” Nagi said, “After another call, I was asked for the ATM code number and more information was obtained. During this time, the amount was immediately transferred from my account. As soon as the bank’s message was received, I contacted the bank, but I found out that there was no money left in my bank account.” When the police were contacted for action, they said the case fell under the anti-cybercrime authorities in Lahore, which had been formally requested for action. Recently, official sources revealed that approximately Rs250 million were fleeced from citizens in Punjab through online fraud during last year. The FIA Cybercrime Wing received more than 100 applications about scams from the province. In this regard, the FIA raided various locations in Lahore and Khushab districts and arrested two suspects. During the investigation, it was found that the fraudsters were equipped with modern technology and are utilising an app ‘Friend search tool for harvesting’ to get access to random WhatsApp numbers of people to send them scamming messages. The Express Tribune learnt that the swindlers retrieved personal information about their potential victims through social media profiles including their photographs. They used the photograph of the person to develop a hoax link stating that he had won valuable prizes. As soon as the person opened the link, information regarding the high-end prizes was displayed alongside details of contacts to receive them. The website also directed the victims to provide their ID card details and other personal information to get the gifts. Tempted by the attractive offers, the victims provided their authentic information to the swindlers who then demanded money through various mobile cash services. As soon as the victims transferred the amount, the swindlers disappeared with their savings. According to the complaints received by the FIA Cybercrime Wing, the fraudsters skillfully showed imported and local cars, watches worth Rs5 million to Rs10 million to the persons for a rip-off and impersonated executives of different companies. This click bait deprived scores of people of millions of rupees, including women who sold their jewelry in the greed of prizes. An FIA spokesman said that while modern technology had provided facilities to the people, some elements were using it illegally to rob innocent citizens. “People should not pay any attention to messages that promise prizes out of the blue nor should they share their personal data with unknown persons, including bank account passwords,” he emphasized. He explained that legally registered companies call prize winners through their offices instead of sending messages on Whatsapp or local cellular networks. Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2021.

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Former DG FIA Bashir Memon retracts allegations against PM Imran

ISLAMABAD: Former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) chief Bashir Memon has retracted his allegations that Prime Minister Imran Khan had instructed him to initiate probe against Supreme Court’s judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Relations Shahbaz Gill claimed in a statement on the social networking site Twitter that the former DG FIA has withdrawn his allegations.

“Bashir Memon has been lying for the last several days. As soon as he was made accountable for his mills, he himself withdrew his statement,” he wrote.

Gill further wrote that “Prime Minister Imran Khan has faith in Allah and he is a true lover of Muhammad, so Allah protects him”.

On the other hand, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said, “In Pakistan, one can accuse the prime minister merely for making headlines but later can easily take a U-turn”.

Read more: PM Imran terms ex-FIA DG’s allegations ‘baseless’

Fawad stressed that this trend of hurling false allegations must be stopped once and for all. “If the issue is raised with the concerned news channel, then media freedom comes under threat and if the guest is asked for an explanation then allegations of political victimization are hurled,” he wrote in a tweet.

 

Earlier this week, Memon whipped up a political storm by claiming that PM Imran as well as Minister for Law Dr Farogh Naseem and Adviser to the PM on Accountability Shahzad Akbar had asked him to start an investigation against the apex court judge.

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India: People hire agents to stand in queue for Covid-19 drug Remdesivir

As the COVID-19 cases are spiraling at an alarming rate, the demand for COVID-19 essential drug Remdesivir has increased manifold.

In Tamil Nadu’s Chennai, long queues have been witnessed at Remdesivir counters at Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH). Owing to long queues, people are paying agents and locals ₹500 -₹1,500 to stand in for them in the drug queue.

V Rama Rao, a social activist, said he got about five calls on Friday alone from elderly people who wanted the drug but couldn’t get it. “So, we are seeking the help of some volunteers and known persons to stand in queue for us in return for some money.”

The KMCH counter is witnessing a huge crowd as at least 2,000 people are gathering up daily in order to get the anti-viral drug. However, only 500 people are able to get the drug. The counter opens at 9 am, however, people start lining up from 5 am.

A public health official said, “Every day at 5 pm, there is a struggle to close the counters as public are enraged; many threaten road rokos.”

A directorate of medical services official said hospitals were told to only to prescribe the drug based on WHO guidelines. “As panic has been created due to shortage of supply. The government has placed an order for about 4.5 lakh vials. Many doctors are prescribing it out of fear so that patients don’t question them,” said the official.

Senior health officials said that the drug is being used judiciously at government hospitals. “We have instructed private hospitals to use it only when required.”

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Texas man killed by swarm of ‘aggressive’ bees

A Texas man died in his own back garden after he was attacked by a vicious swarm of bees.

A 70-year-old man was mowing his lawn in Breckenridge when he was attacked by a swarm of Africanized honey bees, also known as killer bees.

The Breckenridge Fire Department said in a Facebook post that when they were dispatched on Monday, they arrived on scene with the sheriff’s department and were immediately met with “very aggressive bee activity.”

Medical officials said the man was severely stung and went into cardiac arrest. They started emergency care as soon as they arrived on the scene.

“AMR did everything they could to make this a positive outcome but multiple issues turned this into a tragedy with one person not surviving the attack,” the post said.

A firefighter saved the man’s wife from the aggressive insects by removing his protective gear and dressing her in the uniform to get her out of the home safely.

Fire officials said after she was removed from the scene she was transported to the hospital for treatment.

“When all patients were removed from the scene, Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters went door to door and advised people not to use outside noise-making equipment until bees could hive back up and calm down,” the fire department said.

A local beekeeper offered his specialized equipment to assist with locating the hive and remediating it.

Bobby Chaisson, operations director at Georgia Bee Removal, said “Africanized (honey bee) colony is a whole different ballgame and the way they are managed and behave.”

“Especially when you are dealing with that species of honeybee, absolutely, the vibration of a lawnmower, the vibration of a weed eater, kids banging or stomping around close by – they will get defensive.”

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