Siasat Wala Blog

NASA astronauts entered the International Space Station on Sunday after a landmark 19-hour journey on the first crewed US spacecraft in nearly a decade, a triumph for SpaceX and private enterprise. The arrival completed the first leg of the trip, designed to test the capabilities of the Crew Dragon capsule. But the mission will only be declared a success when the astronauts return safely to Earth in a few months’ time. The spaceship’s hatch opened at 1:02 pm Eastern Time (1702 GMT) as Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley carried out final procedures before crossing the threshold about 20 minutes later. Wearing black polo shirts and khaki pants, they were greeted by fellow American astronaut Chris Cassidy, as well as Russia cosmonauts Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The five men posed for photos and then NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine spoke to the crew from mission control in Houston. “Welcome to Bob and Doug,” said Bridenstine. “I will tell you the whole world saw this mission, and...

KARACHI: Gadap police on Monday recovered 16 bags of betel nuts and a 9 mm pistol from a car during snap checking at the Toll Plaza, ARY News reported.  According to the police, the betel nuts and the gun was recovered from a car of a family coming towards Karachi.  The gun was concealed in the dashboard of the car. The youth was arrested after recovery of the pistol. The weapon was sent for a forensic report. Earlier, on Feb 16, anti-corruption authorities in Landhi area of the metropolis had raided a government food warehouse seizing illegally stocked betel nuts. Read more:  Illegal betel nuts seized from govt warehouse, food inspector caught The anti-corruption bureau apprehended six people from the vicinity while the food inspector in charge of the warehouse was also taken into custody. Anti-corruption officials revealed that the food inspector had been storing and selling illegal betel nuts after taking heavy bribes. The post Police recover 16 bags of betel n...

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday issued notices to the Punjab government on a petition seeking reopening of theaters closed as part of preventive measures to contain spread of the novel coronavirus, ARY News reported. The LHC bench directed the provincial government to submit its response to the petition by June 9. The petitioner stated before the court that the provincial government has shut theaters in the province owing to the coronavirus fears and pleaded with the bench to direct the government to allow theaters to open under standard operating procedures (SOPs). Read More: ‘Do you ask me for licence to kill children?’ LHC CJ rejects plea to open parks on Eid The hearing was adjourned till June 9. A meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) to be presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan will be held today to decide the future strategy. It will decide whether or not to further ease lockdown restrictions. The government had shuttered the businesses wh...

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has urged public to use surgical or homemade cloth masks in crowded places rather than wearing N-95 mask, ARY News reported. The PM took to Twitter saying, “N-95 mask is a specialized mask only for frontline health workers who take care of critically ill COVID-19 patients in ICUs and HDUs.” “For the general public, face mask in crowded places can be surgical or medical masks or even home-made cloth mask but not N95 mask,” he wrote in a Tweet. For general public, face mask in crowded places can be surgical or medical masks or even home-made cloth mask but not N95 mask please. N95 mask is a specialized mask ONLY for frontline health workers who take care of critically ill COVID-19 patients in ICUs and HDUs. — Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) June 1, 2020 On Sunday, SAPM Mirza in his briefing to NCOC said that the government was planning on hiring retired government doctors under contract to curb the dearth of doc...

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad on Monday put off a case pertaining to alleged embezzlement in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) until June 19, ARY News reported. The reference was put off due to Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir being on leave. Read More: 16 female govt employees confess to benefit from BISP The accountability court directed former BISP chairperson Farzana Raja and other accused persons nominated in the reference by the National Accountability Burea (NAB) to show up on the next hearing. Earlier this year, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference against former BISP chairperson for abuse of power. The bureau accused her of inflicting a Rs500 million loss on the national exchequer. Read More: NAB files reference over alleged corruption in BISP NAB Chairperson Justice (r) Javed Iqbal approved the reference against the PPP leader on December 3, 2019. PM’s Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation ...

DADU: The officials of the Sindh Food department on Monday recovered 2,000 wheat sacks in Dadu, ARY News reported. The bags were concealed in five trucks, which were recovered by the officials during raid. It could not be established that where the wheat bags were being transported. Earlier on May 1, the Sindh government had decided to seal its border with Balochistan, in a bid to stop wheat smuggling from the province. In this context, Sindh’s Food department had requested the Interior ministry in written for the closure of the border under Food Act. The decision had been taken after the approval of the Sindh cabinet. Read more: Wheat smuggling: Sindh seeks closure of border with Balochistan According to the, Sindh Food department, a mafia was active to smuggle the wheat of the province, which could not be allowed. The Sindh government had fixed 1.4 million tons of wheat procurement target for the current crop. The post 2,000 wheat sacks recovered in Dadu appeared first on A...

KARACHI: In the wake of All Sindh Private Schools Association’s announcement to reopen schools from June 15, the Sindh government has declared that no education institution in the province will be allowed to resume the teaching process, ARY News reported. The provincial government warned private schools of action over violation of the government-defined standard operating procedures (SOPs). It said markets and other businesses will operate as per its guidelines and that no change with regard to working hours or suspension of business on the weekends has been made. Read More: Sindh Private Schools Association announces to reopen schools from June 15 The government said a decision regarding resumption of public transport will be made today. The PPP-led administration said decisions to be taken by the National Coordination Committee (NCC) in today’s meeting will be implemented. Prime Minister Khan will chair a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) today (Monday) to dec...

PESHAWAR: The district courts and tribunals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will resume administrative and judicial work from today after a break of around two months. According to a notification issued by Registrar Peshawar High Court Khawaja Wajeehuddin, the staff members and visitors will have to strictly follow the SOPs formulated to stop the spread of coronavirus. “The competent authority is pleased to direct all the courts/ tribunals throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shall be fully functional with effect from June 1, 2020 for all sort of official business in the best interest of public interest with due observance of all SOPs issued by this court from time to time,” reads the notification. The decision to close the courts was made after a number of employees at PHC had diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Pakistan on Monday confirmed 60 more deaths from coronavirus during last 24 hours as the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 1,543. According to the National Command and Opera...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday confirmed 60 more deaths from coronavirus during last 24 hours as the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 1,543. According to the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 2,964 new coronavirus cases surfaced during the past twenty-four hours, taking the nationwide tally to 72,460. According to the latest figures, 26,240 cases have so far been detected in Punjab, 28,245 in Sindh, 10,027 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 4,393 in Balochistan, 2,589 in Islamabad, 711 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 255 in Azad Kashmir. 26,083 people have been recovered from the virus so far. Pakistan has so far conducted 561,136 coronavirus tests with 14,398 tests in past 24 hours. Read more: PM Imran Khan to chair NCC meeting today Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to chair a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) today (Monday), to decide whether to further ease or tighten the coronavirus lockdown in view of spike in infections and fatalities. Worldwide corona...

Oil prices fell nearly 1% on Monday as traders hedged bets with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) considering meeting as soon as this week to discuss whether to extend record production cuts beyond end-June. Brent crude LCOc1 fell 34 cents to $37.50 a barrel, in the first day of trading in the contract with August as the front month. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 for July delivery were at $35.17 a barrel, down 32 cents, by 0123 GMT. The price falls come after front-month Brent and WTI prices posted their strongest monthly gains in years in May. Gains were boosted by OPEC crude production dropping to its lowest in two decades with demand is expected to recover as more nations emerge from coronavirus lockdowns. “The focus is very much on OPEC+,” OCBC economist Howie Lee said, referring to the grouping of OPEC and its allies including Russia. OPEC+ agreed in April to reduce output by an unprecedented 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in M...

KARACHI: The visiting team of French experts that arrived here on May 26 to extend assistance in the PK-8303 crash probe returned to France on Monday morning upon completion of their task, ARY News reported. The French team along with two members of the Pakistani Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board boarded a Paris-bound flight at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi. They also took the ill-fated plane’s black box and cockpit voice recorder with them to begin work on decoding them. The team returned home after completing the task that included a detailed examination of the crash site, runway, engine parts, air traffic control system, and finding the cockpit voice recorder. Read More: Construction experts to begin operation to pull out PK-8303 engine from damaged building France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) in a tweet on Saturday said, “the mission on site is about to be completed”. It said: “technical work on FDR and CVR” of the ill-fated...

WASHINGTON: Secret Service agents rushed President Donald Trump to a White House bunker as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the executive mansion, some of them throwing rocks and tugging at police barricades. Trump spent nearly an hour in the bunker, which was designed for use in emergencies like terrorist attacks, according to a Republican close to the White House who was not authorized to publicly discuss private matters and spoke on condition of anonymity. The account was confirmed by an administration official who also on condition of anonymity. The protests were triggered by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after he was pinned at the neck by a white Minneapolis police officer. The demonstrations in Washington turned violent and appeared to catch officers by surprise. They sparked one of the highest alerts on the White House complex since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 . Trump has told advisers he worries about his safety, while both privately and publicly ...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to chair a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) today (Monday), to decide whether to further ease or tighten the coronavirus lockdown in view of a spike in infections and fatalities. All chief ministers, federal ministers and relevant authorities will attend the meeting that will take stock of the ongoing coronavirus crisis and will work out a future strategy in view of a sudden increase in infections and fatalities in the country. On May 7, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced lifting of the countrywide lockdown in phases from May 9 by allowing all construction-related industries and shopping centres to reopen for five days a week. The decision was announced after a meeting of the National Coordination Committee. Read more: Pakistan registers record 78 new coronavirus deaths in past 24 hours Chairing a meeting at National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) , yesterday, Minister for Planning, Development and Special In...

ROME: The new coronavirus is losing its potency and has become much less lethal, a senior Italian doctor said on Sunday. “In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in Italy,” said Alberto Zangrillo, the head of the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan in the northern region of Lombardy, which has borne the brunt of Italy’s coronavirus contagion. “The swabs that were performed over the last 10 days showed a viral load in quantitative terms that was absolutely infinitesimal compared to the ones carried out a month or two months ago,” he told RAI television. Italy has the third highest death toll in the world from COVID-19, with 33,415 people dying since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21. It has the sixth highest global tally of cases at 233,019. However new infections and fatalities have fallen steadily in May and the country is unwinding some of the most rigid lockdown restrictions introduced anywhere on the continent. Zangrillo said some experts were too alarmist about the ...

KARACHI: Pakistan-Tehreek e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi on Sunday said that 18 out of 38 sugar mills in Sindh belong to former president Asif Ali Zardari and Omni Group, ARY News reported. Addressing a press conference here, Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly demanded formation of a special sugar inquiry committee for Sindh. He said after year 2005 all sugar mills have been sold to same buyer in Sindh. PTI leader alleged that the sugar mills owners sold mills to single buyer on the pressure of Sindh chief minister. He also claimed that provincial ministers are telling lies and demanded the prime minister to form a special sugar inquiry committee for Sindh. He urged provincial government to avoid issuing false statements. He said that the farmers have not been made payments of their supplied sugarcane so far. He said that Thatta Sugar Mills was issued one billion rupees loan from Sindh Bank for Balancing, Modernization and Replacement (BMR), how a bank relea...

KARACHI: Director of the Ziauddin Education Board Prof Anwar Ahmed Zai passed away in Karachi on Sunday. He had been under treatment at a private hospital in the port city for the past few days. Prof Ahmed Zai had served as the chairman of the Karachi Intermediate board, the Karachi Matriculation board, and the Mirpurkhas board. He also served as the EDO Karachi and additional secretary of the provincial education department. His funeral prayers will be offered after Asr prayers at Hassan Bin Sabit mosque near University of Karachi. Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani and Vice Chancellor of the Ziauddin University Dr Asim Hussain extended their condolences to the bereaved family over the demise of Prof Anwar Ahmed Zai. The post Educationist Prof Anwar Ahmed Zai dies in Karachi appeared first on ARY NEWS .

LAHORE: A session of the Punjab Assembly is being convened at a Lahore hotel due to the coronavirus fears. The session summoned by Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi will start on June 5 and continue until June 29. Sources at the assembly secretariat today confided to ARY News that the provincial legislature’s session at the hotel will incur additional expenses of about Rs20 million. Usually, the per day cost of the assembly’s session to taxpayers is around Rs10 million, including salaries and allowances of members of the assembly. The additional cost estimated at Rs20 million includes expenditures to be incurred on hotel rent and food. A spokesperson for the Punjab Assembly said the secretariat will release details of expenses of the assembly session at the hotel tomorrow. The reason behind convening the session at the hotel is to ensure strict adherence to the standard operating procedures (SOPs), including social distancing protocols, for the MPAs, which was impossible to im...

Civil unrest flared and curfews were imposed in several major U.S. cities on Saturday as demonstrators took to the streets to vent outrage at the death of a black man shown on video gasping for breath as a white Minneapolis policeman knelt on his neck. From Los Angeles to Miami to Chicago, protests marked by chants of “I can’t breathe” – a rallying cry echoing the dying words of George Floyd – began peacefully before turning unruly as demonstrators blocked traffic, set fires and clashed with riot police, some firing tear gas and plastic bullets in an effort to restore order. The sight of protesters flooding streets fueled a sense of crisis in the United States after weeks of lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen millions thrown out of work and has disproportionately affected minority communities. In the nation’s capital, hundreds of demonstrators assembled near the Justice Department headquarters shouting, “black lives matter.” Many later moved to the White Hous...

KARACHI: Four more bodies of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash have been identified on Sunday, ARY News reported. According to Edhi authorities, Out of 23 more bodies of the plane crash victims transferred to the morgue, four have been identified today. The bodies were identified as of Tahira Mehmood, Taj Mehmood, Muhamad Zubair and Bilal Ahmed. Tahira Mehmood, Taj Mehmood, Muhamad Zubair were a resident of Karachi while Bilal Ahmed belonged to Gujrat, according to Edhi authorities. As many as 73 bodies of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash victims have been identified thus far as DNA process to recognize others is in progress. Read More:  PK-8303 crash: Technical work on plane’s black box to begin on June 2 Out of the total identified bodies, 63 of them were handed over to the families. Meanwhile, the investigation of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash in Karachi is nearing completion as Airbus experts have collected...

ISLAMABAD: The government has declared wearing of masks mandatory at public places, markets and in public transport to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafaat in a tweet on Sunday said wearing masks or covering face at all public places in Islamabad has been declared compulsory. He said the civil administration will visit markets, mosques, bus stops, offices and streets to check whether or nor people follow the government-prescribed guidelines, wearing masks in particular. Read More: Wearing masks at crowded public places mandatory now: SAPM Zafar Mirza Warning people against failure to wear masks when stepping out, the deputy commissioner said a judicial magistrate can levy a fine of up to Rs3,000 or send a violator to prison under Section 188 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). اسلام آباد میں تمام عوامی جگہوں پر ماسک پہننا /منہ ڈھانپنا اب لازم قراردیدیاگیا ہے۔ مارکیٹس،عوامی مقامات مساجد،پبلک ٹرانسپورٹ،لاری اڈہ،گلیوں،سڑکوں، دفاتر ...

KARACHI: Police in a raid and search operation at a ground floor apartment here recovered illegal arms and ammunition, ARY News reported on Sunday. Shara-e-Faisal Police conducted a raid at an apartment in its jurisdiction, arrested 10 suspects and unearthed arms hidden underground, an official said. SSP East region Tanveer Alam Odho has said that the recovered arms included a light machine-gun (LMG), shot gun, 12 bore gun and Triple Two rifle. The police also recovered 25 snatched or stolen motorbikes and four cars, SSP East said. A case has been registered at the police station against arrested accused. In an incident five armed bandits, riding three motorbikes entered in a house near Mosmiyat in Gulistan-e-Johar. They made hostage the family and deprived them of gold jewelery, cash, prize bonds and other valuables. A FIR of the incident has been reported at Sachal police station. The post Police capture illegal arms, stolen valuables in Karachi raid appeared first on ARY NE...

KARACHI: The investigation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash in Karachi is nearing completion as Airbus experts have collected all important evidence to complete their probe, ARY News reported on Sunday. According to a tweet from France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), “the mission on site is about to be completed”. The tweet also said that “technical work on FDR and CVR” of the ill-fated aircraft would begin in France on June 2. (2/2) Accident @Airbus #A320 AP-BLD @Official_PIA / technical work on FDR & CVR will start at @BEA_Aero 02/06/20 / @BEA_aero thanks a lot AAIB from Pakistan for the coordination, organization and support provided. #PIA8303 — BEA (@BEA_Aero) May 30, 2020 The investigators after their final visits would leave the country via a special plane on Monday. They would take away flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder with them to decode it. Representatives of the Pakistani team probing...

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Sunday called for people to change their lifestyle to keep the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at bay. He in a statement said people can protect themselves from the deadly virus by changing the way they socialise. He appealed to the people to cover their faces while stepping out. CM Usman Buzdar said the government is striving to contain the infection. Prevention is highly crucial for a healthy life, he emphasised, urging the people to stick to the government-prescribed precautionary measures against the coronavirus that is fast spreading across the country. Read More: Pakistan reports record 88 coronavirus deaths in single day, cases jump to 69,496 Meanwhile, talking to Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat in Lahore, the chief minister said new laws should be enacted for better implementation of measures to control the spread of coronavirus. He stressed the need for new legislation to meet the challenges of the changing environ...

ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that Balochistan is the province most affected by the locusts attack, ARY News reported on Sunday. A spokesperson of NDMA has said that swarms of locusts have spread to 52 districts of the country including 31 in Balochistan, 10 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six in Sindh and five districts in Punjab. A survey and control operation has been underway in locusts’ hit areas, NDMA said. In the countrywide operation 1102 teams taking part in the operation and 3,63,000 hectres of land have been surveyed in 24 hours, while an area of 4,900 hectres was treated with anti-locust insecticide, the statement said. According to NDMA,insecticides sprayed over 200 hectres in Punjab, 800 hectres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 700 hectres in Sindh. Overall fumigation has been completed at 4,92,000 hectres of land, the statement said. It is to be mentioned here that swarms of locusts have attacked fruit orchards in Balochistan’s Sibi, ...

QUETTA: Former senator Javed Jabbar has announced his resignation from the 10th National Finance Commission (NFC), ARY News reported. Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Alyani had nominated him as non-statutory member from Balochistan to the 10th NFC that President Dr Arif Alvi constituted vide a notification put out on May 12. Read More: President Arif Alvi constitutes 10th NFC Reacting to his resignation, the chief minister tweeted: “Javed Jabbar sahibs volunteer resignation is a sad event and its sad to see how some self centred people made disinformation about him.” “He is a man of knowledge, experience, depth on Balochistan & years on NFC. Hope those criticized and played negative shall realize it!.” Javed jabar sahibs volunteer resignationIts is a sad event and its sad to see how some self centred people made disinformation about him. He is a man of knowledge, experience, depth on Balochistan & years on NFC Hope those criticized and played negative shall realiz...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying two veteran NASA astronauts lifted off on Saturday on an historic first private crewed flight into space. The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley aboard blasted off smoothly in a cloud of orange flames and smoke from Launch Pad 39A at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center for the 19-hour voyage to the International Space Station. The first booster stage of the rocket separated cleanly and landed upright on a barge off the Atlantic coast. The second stage also separated smoothly, sending the astronauts in the Crew Dragon capsule on their way to the space station orbiting some 250 miles (450 kilometers) above the Earth. The first crewed flight from US soil since the space shuttle program ended in 2011 had originally been scheduled for Wednesday but was delayed because of weather conditions, which also remained uncertain on Saturday right up until liftoff at 3:22 pm (1922 GMT). President Donald Trump flew to Flor...

LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s personal physician Dr Adnan has returned home from London this morning, ARY News reported on Sunday. Maryam Nawaz’s daughter has also returned from London in the same flight of PIA along with Dr. Adnan. Sharif’s physician and Maryam Nawaz’s daughter have been sent to a hotel in Lahore after their arrival, sources said. Earlier, Dr Adnan refused to discuss Nawaz Sharif’s medical progress at London airport although he did say that his journey back to Pakistan was temporary and he would return to London soon. Dr Adnan is returning to Pakistan after spending six months tending to the critically ill former prime minister of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. An accountability court on Friday, issued arrest warrants for Nawaz Sharif in Toshakhana reference. The hearing was presided over by Accountability Judge Asghar Ali, in which former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appeared before the court, while former president Asif Ali Zardari ...

KARACHI: Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast light rainfall, drizzle in Karachi on Sunday night, ARY News reported. Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), in its forecast, predicted partly cloudy weather with chances of drizzle late Sunday night. Weather in Karachi is expected to remain partly cloudy and humid with the maximum temperature ranging up to 37 degrees Celsius and humidity up to 80 percent in the morning and 70 percent in the evening. The Met Office on Saturday forecast rain wind-thunderstorm for the entire country in the next 24 hours. It said that rain wind-thunderstorm with few hailstorms is expected in Islamabad, Kashmir, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northeast Balochistan and Sindh during the next twelve hours. “A Westerly wave is affecting most parts of the country and likely to persist in upper parts till Tuesday,” the Met said. Dust-thunderstorm with rain is also expected in Mirpurkhas, Badin and Hyderabad on Monday, said the Met Office. Te...

MUZAFFARGARH: A man got into hot water for getting married for the third time in Muzaffargarh. Enraged at his third marriage, Dr Abdul Rasheed’s second wife poured boiling water over him to settle the score. As a result, 45 per cent of his body sustained burn wounds. He was shifted to a hospital for medical attention. A first information report (FIR) was registered with Shah Jamal police station against the woman. Read more:  Hyderabad woman kills husband over plans to contract second marriage Subsequently, the police detained the woman for a brief period and let her go after questioning. Earlier on Feb 11, a groom was manhandled over contracting third marriage in Karachi without consent of his first two wives. The groom named Asif was subjected to torture by his first wife and her family in an ongoing Valima reception of his third marriage in Karachi. Read More: Groom manhandled over contracting third marriage in Karachi Failing to convince his first wife and her family, A...

Russian scientists plan to start clinical trials within two weeks on a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus, the health minister was quoted as saying on Saturday as authorities approved the country’s first anti-COVID-19 drug. Russia has the world’s third-highest toll of coronavirus infections after the United States and Brazil, and Kremlin officials have said the nation’s researchers are working on almost 50 different vaccine projects. “The tests are under way and we plan to start clinical trials in the next two weeks,” Health Minister Mikhail Murashko was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency. He said volunteers had been selected to take part in the trials. Drugmakers worldwide are rushing to develop treatments and vaccines for the virus that has caused 364,000 deaths globally. The Russian Direct Investment Fund said the Health Ministry had approved Avifavir for the treatment of COVID-19. It was developed on the basis of a drug known generically as favipiravir. RDIF said ...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan confirmed 88 more deaths from novel coronavirus during last 24 hours as the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 1,483, ARY News reported on Sunday. According to the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 3,039 new coronavirus cases surfaced during the past twenty-four hours, taking the nationwide tally to 69,496. Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. According to the latest figures, 27,360 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 25,056 in Punjab, 9,540 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 4,193 in Balochistan, 2,192 in Islamabad, 660 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 234 in Azad Kashmir. Furthermore, 453 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in KP, 475 in Punjab, 465 in Sindh, 46 in Balochistan, 23 in Islamabad and 9 in GB. 25,271 people have been recovered from the virus so far while 42,739 are still under treatment. Pakistan has so far conducted 547,009 coronavirus tests and 1...

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza said on Sunday wearing masks is now mandatory at crowded public places and in public transport.  Taking to Twitter, he said: “Face masks are now mandatory to be worn by everybody while in crowded public places, mosques, bazaars, shopping malls, public transport ie road, rail and flights.” “We have reviewed our guidelines for wearing masks and have added a mandatory section.” Face masks are now mandatory to be worn by everybody while in crowded public places, mosques, bazaars, shopping malls, public transport ie road, rail and flights. We have reviewed our guidelines for wearing masks and have added a mandatory section <311>. https://t.co/K8xnM8TcG7 — Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) May 31, 2020 Read More: Zafar Mirza says only 25pc health assets utilized so far as coronavirus cases surge 88 more deaths from novel coronavirus have been reported during the last 24 hours as the nationwide tally of ...

KHANEWAL: At least six people were killed while 30 others injured when the passenger bus they were travelling in turned turtle after skidding off a bridge in Khanewal on Sunday morning, ARY News reported. According to rescue officials, the incident took place near Pull Rango. They said the ill-fated bus was on its way from Lahore to Multan when it met an accident. The driver of the vehicle lost control while trying to avoid hitting a motorcycle, due to which the bus overturned, they added. Consequently, six people died while 30 other sustained wounds. Upon being informed, rescuers reached the site and pulled the dead and the injured out of the overturned bus, shifting them to a nearby medical facility. Some of the injured are said to be in critical condition. The identity of those killed and injured in the road mishap could not be ascertained immediately. The post Six dead, 30 injured in bus accident in Khanewal appeared first on ARY NEWS .

LARKANA: Stray dogs bitten nine people including two children in Larkana, ARY News reported on Saturday. The affected persons were shifted to emergency ward of the Chandka Hospital. The number of dog bite cases in Larkana has surged to 69 in last 10 days. Earlier, on Jan 30, a female news anchor was injured after being bitten by a dog in Karachi’s defence area. Read more:  Dog-bite victim from Badin admitted to Jinnah hospital The female news anchor was reportedly bitten by the neighbours’ dog in Khayaban-e-Shamsheer, Phase V, area of defence, Karachi. The woman registered a case in Darakhshan Police Station against the dog owner. She had registered a case on the base of the medico-legal report. An alarming rise of dog-bite incidents being reported across the country with a common complaint about scarcity of the anti-rabies vaccine. The doctors advise inoculation of anti-rabies vaccine shortly after the dog bite. A victim of a rabid dog bite likely to suffer from hyd...

Alphabet Inc’s Google on Saturday said it has postponed next week’s planned unveiling of the beta version of its latest Android 11 mobile operating system in light of protests and unrest in the United States. “We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate,” Google said in a message posted on its Android developers website. The event was originally scheduled to take place virtually on Wednesday, according to the website. In a tweet, it said that it will announce more details on the new version of Android “soon,” without specifying any dates. Protests have spread across the United States over the killing of George Floyd, a Minneapolis black man who died after being pinned by the neck under a white police officer’s knee. The post Google postpones Android 11 unveiling appeared first on ARY NEWS .

LAHORE: 1140 new coronavirus cases have emerged in Punjab, taking the total number of infections across the province to 24,104, according to the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department. A spokesperson for the department said 29 more deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of fatalities to 439. The number of people recovering from the disease has risen to 6,507 while a total of 228,541 tests have been conducted in the province (Punjab) so far, the department said. The nationwide tally of fatalities and cases has jumped 1,395 and 66,000 respectively as 2,429 more people detected with COVID-19 during the past 24 hours. According to the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 26,113 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 24,104 in Punjab, 9,067 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 4,087 in Balochistan, 2,192 in Islamabad, 660 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 234 in Azad Kashmir. Furthermore, 445 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in KP, 439 in Pu...

QUETTA: The government of Balochistan has revised its policy with regard to the data of deaths by COVID-19 in the province to include the deaths at homes likely to be caused by the virus, ARY News reported on Saturday. Provincial health department has initiated a survey to compile data of deaths at hospitals as well as at homes, officials said. According to provincial health authorities around 30 people in the province have likely to be died by coronavirus at homes during past two weeks. The tally of deaths by novel coronavirus in Balochistan reaches to 76 with addition of 30 likely deaths at homes by the virus, health department said. The department has constituted an investigation team comprising of deputy commissioners to determine actual cause of death of the people died at homes, health officials said. Thirty people were died at Fatima Jinnah Hospital and Shaikh Zayed Hospital by coronavirus, provincial health department said. It is to be mentioned here that Balochistan have...

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting, Lieutenant General (retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Saturday said that first bulk cargo ship “MV Manet” carrying wheat and urea of Afghan Transit trade reached Gwadar port this week. In a tweet on Saturday, SAPM Bajwa said a dream come true for local economy as it will stimulate host of business activity. First bulk-cargo ship “MV Manet” carrying wheat n urea of Afghan Transit trade reached Gwadar this week-a dream come true for local economy as it will stimulate host of business activity… #cpec #CPECMakingProgress pic.twitter.com/Imi9T4fbt2 — Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimSBajwa) May 30, 2020 Back in the month of April, Adviser to PM on Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood had said that Gwadar Port has been made operational for the Afghan Transit Trade. Announcing the positive development via his twitter handle, Abdul Razak Dawood had said  the Gwadar Port has been operationalized...