Pakistan records 5,480 new Covid-19 cases, 151 deaths in 24 hours

Pakistan recorded 5,480 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the country's Covid-19 tally to 815,711. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the country's death toll climbed to 17,680 after 151 people succumbed to the deadly disease during the last 24 hours. Most deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Meanwhile, 3,699 patients recovered from the deadly disease in a day taking total recoveries to 708,193. According to NCOC, total active Covid-19 cases across the country were reported to be 89,838. The highest number of ventilators occupied in the country was found to be in Lahore with 73 per cent occupancy, followed by Multan at 73 per cent, Mardan at 73 per cent and Gujranwala at 62 per cent. Read more: Sindh sees over 1,000 new Covid-19 cases The NCOC further reported that the highest number of oxygen bed occupancy in the country was in Peshawar at 70 per cent followed by Swabi at 67 per cent, Mardan at 65 per cent and Swat at 60 per cent. About 57,013 Covid-19 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours out of which 14,716 were conducted in Sindh, 26,338 in Punjab, 8,261 in K-P, 5,651 in Islamabad, 929 in Balochistan, 241 in G-B and 877 tests were conducted in AJK. Covid-19 related death by province Out of the total 17,680 reported deaths, there had been about 4,629 deaths in Sindh, 8,327 in Punjab, 3,238 in K-P, 677 in Islamabad. About 233 deaths were reported in Balochistan, 106 deaths in G-B and 470 in AJK. The NCOC also reported that a total of 11,739,027 tests had been conducted since the outbreak of the virus. There are about 630 hospitals with Covid-19 facilities with more than 6,000 patients admitted across the country, it added.

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China launches key module of space station planned for 2022

BEIJING: China launched an unmanned module on Thursday containing living quarters for three crew on a permanent space station that it plans to complete by the end of 2022, state media reported.

The module, named “Tianhe”, or “Harmony of the Heavens”, was launched on the Long March 5B, China’s largest carrier rocket, at 11:23 a.m. (0323 GMT) from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre on the southern island of Hainan.

Tianhe is one of three main components of what would be China’s first self-developed space station, rivalling the only other station in service – the International Space Station (ISS).

The ISS is backed by major countries including the United States, Russia and Japan. China was barred from participating in the ISS by the United States.

Tianhe will form the main living quarters for three crew members in the Chinese space station, which will have a life span of at least 10 years.

The Tianhe launch was the first of 11 missions needed to complete the space station, which will orbit Earth at an altitude of 340 to 450 kilometres (211-280 miles).

In the later missions, China will launch the two other core modules, four manned spacecraft and four cargo spacecraft.

Work on the space station programme began a decade ago with the launch of a space lab Tiangong-1 in 2011, and later, Tiangong-2 in 2016.

Both helped China test the programme’s space rendezvous and docking capabilities.

China has prioritised space exploration in recent years, with the aim of becoming a major space power by 2030.

By 2045, it hopes to establish a programme operating thousands of space flights a year and carrying tens of thousands of tonnes of cargo and passengers.

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Eight-foot long alligator blocks traffic on Texas bridge

It’s not uncommon to spot various creatures on Houston’s roadways, but on Wednesday, many drivers were surprised to find a large alligator sunning itself on the Texas bridge.

Spotting the eight-foot-long alligator on the road, Police and animal control officers were called to remove a traffic hazard.

The Harris County Precinct 8 Constable’s Office, the Baytown Police Department and Texas State Police animal control officers responded in the late morning Wednesday to reports of an alligator blocking Highway 14 traffic on the Fred Hartman Bridge.

Responders said it took five officers to wrestle the gator, bind it with tape and load the reptile into a pickup truck.

The gator was transported to the water under the bridge and set free, authorities said.

The La Porte Police Department said alligators have been known to wander into the road in the past, but Wednesday’s incident was the first time in recent memory that one of the animals has been seen on the bridge.

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PM Imran welcomes Saudi Arabia peace initiative with Iran

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has welcomed Saudi Arabia’s initiative for peace with Iran expressing the confidence that it would strengthen the Muslim Ummah.

In a tweet, PM Imran said Iran is our neighbour and Saudi Arabia is our closest friend and this peace initiative will strengthen the Muslim Ummah.

ہم ایران کے ساتھ بحالئ امن کے حوالے سے سعوی عرب کی کاوش کا خیر مقدم کرتے ہیں۔ ایران ہمارا ہمسایہ تو سعودی عرب قریب ترین دوست ہے۔ امن کی جانب اٹھایا گیا یہ قدم امتِ مسلمہ کیلئے باعثِ تقویت ہو گا۔
https://t.co/LXj0pRiYFp

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 28, 2021

Prime Minister Imran Khan always raised voice for the normalisation of ties between KSA and Iran and had offered to mediate too.

Saudi Arabia s crown prince struck a conciliatory tone towards Iran, saying he sought “good” relations with Iran.

“Iran is a neighbouring country, and all we aspire for is a good and special relationship with Iran,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a television interview broadcast late Tuesday.

“We do not want Iran’s situation to be difficult. On the contrary, we want Iran to grow… and to push the region and the world towards prosperity.”

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Woman among three killed in Khurrianwala

A man killed his ex-wife to death who took divorce from him while two unidentified suspects tortured and stabbed two people to death in the district. Police handed over the woman’s to her heirs and started searching for the heirs of two bodies. Police said According to the police report, a man allegedly shot dead his ex-wife over the resentment of his divorce on Wednesday. 38-year-old Noorin Kausar, a resident of Millat Town, used to quarrel with her husband Sajid Khan on a daily basis on which she took divorce from the court. As a result, her ex-husband Sajid Khan, along with his partner Iftikhar Ahmed, went to her house where he shot her in the head and fled. Millat Town Police reached the spot, took the body of the deceased in their possession and handed it over to her heirs after postmortem. Police have registered a case against the two named 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 led him to murder his wife. The victim was a mother of four children. Separately, near Sargodha Road, unidentified persons tortured and killed a man. The suspects allegedly tied his feet with a cloth and threw him into a dirty drain. Sargodha Road Police on the information of passerby Shaukat Ali took out the body of the deceased from the drain and shifted it to Allied Hospital's Mortuary Unit for postmortem and started searching for the heirs of the deceased. In another incident, body of a 40-year-old man was found that was stabbed in the abdomen by unidentified assailants near Wasa Disposal, a beverage factory in D-Type Colony area. Police took the body into their custody and registered a case against the unidentified accused on the statement of ASI Muhammad Ali. According to police, both legs of the victim were tied with cloth and there were scars on his body. Incidents of murder involving marital disputes were not uncommon in the province. Earlier this year in March, a man allegedly shot dead his ex-wife's brother over the resentment of his divorce. Police registered a case against the suspect under murder provisions and started raids to find him. According to the police report, Amna Bibi, the sister of 48-year-old Azizur Rehman, son of Abdul Rehman and a resident of Mohalla Khalidabad, Factory Area, was married to Ariful Rafiq, a resident of Gulfishan Town, Lahore. On November 24 last year, A woman with the help of her lover allegedly killed her brother in Chichawatni after their marital dispute could not be solved. The victim was a father of two children. Reportedly, Asad Mumtaz’s younger sister Maya and Ehtesham wanted to marry but they faced opposition from Asad. Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2021.

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Robber killed in alleged police encounter

A suspected robber was shot dead in police encounter while he was fleeing after alleged robbery near on Jhumra Road. While the suspect’s accomplice managed to escape. The robber killed in the encounter turned out to have a record of 18 cases. Police handed over the body of the slain dacoit to his heirs after postmortem and registered a case under the provisions of murder, 'attempted murder' and interference in government work and started searching for his accomplice. According to details, robbers on motorcycles snatched Rs10,000 cash, identity card and motorcycle number from Zeeshan Liaqat Ali and Inzamam-ul-Haq coming on Sahiyanwala Road from Kharrianwala near Jhumra Road Check No. 164 RB Bulgan. Meanwhile, the robbery victim Zeeshan informed the police at Rescue 15. On which SHO Chak Jhumra Sub-Inspector Roy Arshad chased the suspects. The robbers opened fire on police as soon as they saw them arriving in a government vehicle. As a result, Gulzar Farid, a resident of Chowk Azam, Layyah District, was injured in the police retaliatory firing. He was shifted to Allied Hospital after being provided medical treatment where he succumbed to his injuries while his companion managed to escape. Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2021.

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PML-N hardens stance as Fazl seek reconciliation

The PML-N has adopted the stance that until the PPP and ANP clarify their stance on seeking help from the BAP – an allied party of the ruling PTI – during the Senate polls, alliance with both the parties on the PDM platform is not possible.        Serious differences emerged between the PPP and the PML-N when the former appointed Yusuf Raza Gilani as the leader of the opposition in Senate, apparently, in violation of what had earlier been agreed upon in a PDM meeting. The turmoil between the two deepened when PDM issued an “explanation letter” to the PPP and the ANP and when five opposition parties formed a separate bloc of 27 opposition senators in Senate. Resultantly, the PPP and the ANP parted ways with the PDM by submitting their leaders’ resignations from all posts of the 10-party anti-government alliance which was formed in September 2020 to oust the government and curtail the role of the establishment in politics. On Wednesday, sources said that a confidant of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari – Senator Qayyum Soomro – had met PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman thrice in the last three days. Both discussed the future of the PDM and the differences between the PPP and the PML-N. Fazl said PML-N had adopted a hard stance that unless the PPP implements the PDM’s decision and apologize on seeking help from the BAP, its return to the opposition alliance was not possible. Sources said PPP had asked the PDM chief to move forward after accepting Gilani as the opposition leader but the PML-N and JUI-F did not agree to it. It is further said that the PPP and ANP have still not responded to the “explanation letter” and that there had been no direct contact between the PML-N and PPP.

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