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Deaths in Iran from coronavirus have hit 43, the highest number outside China, and the total number of infected people has risen to 593, according to Iranian health official. The country is at the epicenter of the outbreak in the region, with several countries in the Middle East reporting cases of the coronavirus stemming from Iran. “Unfortunately nine people died of the virus in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll to 43,” Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, calling on people to stay at home. Health Minister Saeed Namaki on Friday warned of “a very difficult week” ahead in Iran, which only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19 and where the death rate among confirmed cases has been around 10%, compared to around 3% elsewhere. Tehran has ordered the shutting of schools until Tuesday and extended the closure of universities and a ban on concerts and sports events for a week. Authorities have also banned visits to hos

A former interior minister was sworn in as Malaysia's premier on Sunday, marking the return of a scandal-mired party to power after a reformist government's collapse but ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad, 94, slammed the move as illegal. The Southeast Asian nation was plunged into turmoil after Mahathir's reformist "Pact of Hope" alliance, which stormed to a historic victory in 2018, collapsed amid bitter infighting. Mahathir — who was the world's oldest leader — initially quit as premier but then sought to return. He lost out however to little-known Muhyiddin Yassin, who heads a coalition dominated by the country's Muslim majority. The king's decision on Saturday to pick Muhyiddin as premier was greeted with shock as Mahathir's allies claimed to have enough support, and sparked widespread anger that the democratically elected government had been ejected. Just before Muhyiddin's inauguration, Mahathir accused him of betrayal and said he would seek

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has announced to close Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan amid apprehensions of outbreak of the novel coronavirus, ARY News reported on Sunday. The government has issued a letter with regard to closure of the Pak-Afghan border crossing at Chaman in the first phase. Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan will remain closed from March 02 (Monday) for seven days, according to a notification of the Ministry of Interior. The Chaman border crossing will remain closed for seven days in the first phase, the order said. The decision has been taken in view to avoid the outbreak of novel coronavirus, the letter said. The porous border with Afghanistan is a cause of concern for Pakistan after the new coronavirus erupted in neighbouring Iran. Islamabad has closed its border crossings with Iran while Kabul has also suspended all travel to the country, which has reported 43 deaths out of nearly 543 infections — making it one of the hardest hit countries outside the

Two men were arrested in Karachi Saturday night after the Sindh Rangers launched a crackdown against coronavirus protective mask hoarders across the city. They raided multiple shops in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 13-D, PECHS Block II and Federal B Area. According to officers, more than 74,000 surgical masks were confiscated from these shops. The Sindh government has said that all sellers involved in hoarding masks will be charged under Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Anyone found guilty will be sentenced to two years in prison. The Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan has also started taking action against pharmacies selling overpriced masks. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said the ministry is keeping a strict watch on such activities. Whoever is found to be selling medicines at inflated prices will be face severe action, he said. Amidst panic over the coronavirus outbreak, residents have been reaching for pharmacies and shops to purchase masks as

The Naushero Feroz police have arrested two men whom they say are the killers of MPA Shahnaz Ansari. Ansari, a member of the PPP, was gunned down in Darya Khan Marri village on February 15. She was attending her brother-in-law’s chehlum. The Sindh IG has congratulated the Naushero Feroz SSP and his team for making the arrests and said that the investigation has been impartial and transparent. He said the police is going to see the investigation through till the end. The suspects have been identified as Waqar and Akhtar Khokhar. from SAMAA https://ift.tt/3cndlwA

A police instructor was accused of allegedly an officer during training with ‘sticks’ and ‘rods’ at Islamabad’s police training centre. A group of the federal police’s anti-terrorism squad was sent for training to a training centre at the Simly Dam in Rawalpindi. According to the police, the instructor of the group tortured an under training officer, Shahzaib, at the centre. The constable was shifted to a hospital after his condition became critical. The senior superintendent officer of the Counter Terrorism Department has taken notice and has ordered an inquiry of the incident. from SAMAA https://ift.tt/3cjBSTt

https://www.samaa.tv/wp-content/uploads//usr/nfs/sestore3/samaa/vodstore/digital-library/2018/03/KORANGI-PROTEST-Samaa-Camra-01-03-.mp4 Action is being taken against Karachi policemen who used violence against a group of protesting women and the journalists who were covering the protest. A protest broke out in Korangi’s Awami Colony Saturday after night the arrest of four young men. They have been accused of robbery. But their families believe they are innocent. A group of women, all related to the young men, staged a protest outside the Awami Colony police station. When they entered the police station to continue their protest inside, the police beat them up. The police then got angry at media persons filming the incident, including SAMAA TV , and attacked them. In the process, one police officer broke the SAMAA TV’s camera. After journalists staged a protest outside the police station, the Korangi SSP took notice and ordered the DSP to take action against the police personnel i

LAHORE: A speeding truck on Sunday hit a motorcycle in Bhati Gate area of the Punjab’s provincial capital and killed three youngsters, ARY NEWS reported. According to police, three youngsters were travelling on a motorcycle at Bhati Gate when a speeding truck overran them, killing all of them on the spot. “The deceased were identified as Arsalan, Ahmad and Akhter,” the authorities said adding that the truck driver fled away from the scene soon after the incident. The police has registered a case into the accident. In September 2019, at least three people were killed and one other critically injured in an accident in Lahore. Police officials said that the head-on collision between a vehicle and an auto rickshaw took place near Wateen Chowk in Lahore on Sunday evening . Read More:  Road accident claims three lives in Gujrat Police and rescue official, after being informed, rushed to the scene and shifted the bodies and the injured to the hospital. The deceased were identified as

A former interior minister was sworn in as Malaysia’s premier Sunday, marking the return of a scandal-mired regime to power after the last government’s collapse but ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad slammed the move as illegal. The Southeast Asian nation was plunged into turmoil a week ago as Mahathir’s reformist “Pact of Hope” alliance, which stormed to a historic victory in 2018, collapsed after a bid to force out leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir — who was the world’s oldest leader at 94 — then quit, triggering a race for the premiership which he ultimately lost to little-known Muhyiddin Yassin, who heads a coalition dominated by the country’s ethnic Malay Muslim majority. The decision Saturday by the monarch to pick Muhyiddin was greeted with shock as Mahathir’s allies claimed he had enough support to return as leader, and sparked widespread anger that the democratically elected government was being abruptly ejected. The king appoints the country’s prime minister, who must sh

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Sunday said that over 60,053 applications have been received so far under Government Hajj Scheme. According to a ministry spokesman, the designated banks had received 60,053 Hajj applications under the Government Hajj Scheme till Saturday. The government scheme applications will be received until March 6. The banks have already been directed to receive hajj applications on Saturday and Sunday. This year, a total of 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will perform the sacred religious ceremony. The applicants must get a receipt and bank stamp from the banks. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony had earlier on Feb 21 restrained banks from receiving Hajj forms from Feb 24 (Monday) till further directives in this regard. Read more:  ‘PM Imran Khan willing to establish Malaysian-led model of Hajj fund’ The ministry has also announced the policy for Hajj pilgrims under the government scheme who

China on Sunday reported 35 more deaths from the new coronavirus, taking the toll in the country to 2,870. The number is lower than the 47 fatalities reported by Chinese authorities on Saturday. The National Health Commission also reported 573 new infections, bringing the total number of cases in mainland China to 79,824. While still in the hundreds, the figure for new infections is far lower than the huge, daily increase in cases China was recording in January and February. All but one of the 35 deaths were in Hubei province, whose capital Wuhan is the epicentre of the outbreak. The new coronavirus, which has killed nearly 3,000 people and infected more than 86,000 in dozens of countries, is believed to have first emerged late last year in a Wuhan market that sold wild animals The post China reports 35 more virus deaths, 573 new cases appeared first on ARY NEWS . from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/3afwfDW

NEW DELHI: After BCCI president Saurav Ganguly late on Friday reportedly spoke about Dubai being the venue for the 2020 Asia Cup, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani on Saturday said no final decision in this regard had been taken yet. The PCB holds the hosting rights for this year’s continental tournament, to be staged in September. But with India not willing to travel to Pakistan, the venue of the event currently seems uncertain.“The 2020 Asia Cup is organised for the benefit of the associate members. We will take a decision keeping that in mind. A final decision will be taken bearing in mind the interests of all the Asian countries. We have a few options,” Mani told The Indian Express. Both Ganguly and Mani are expected to be present at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Dubai on March 3. A decision on the Asia Cup venue is likely to be taken there. Earlier, Ganguly reportedly said Dubai would be the venue for the next Asia Cup. “The Asia Cup will be held in Dubai

The only presidential candidate, Democratic or Republican, to have ever won the popular vote in the three early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders found himself celebrating his victory at the Nevada polls in Texas last weekend. On Sunday, over 12,000 people flooded the grounds of Vic Mathias Shores, along the river, in Austin to hear him speak. Supporters started gathering over an hour before seating was supposed to begin, and stood in line patiently, talking to each other about politics, T-shirts and badges, and how they had attended Sanders’ last rally in Austin, in 2016. The weather was great and Austin Bands for Bernie put on a great show featuring Molly Burch’s “love songs for Bernie”, the Black Angels and Jordan Moser, among others, urging action against the Permian Highway Pipeline in Texas, exploitative drug companies, oil companies and climate change. As band after another came on stage to perform and talk about how President Berni

A former interior minister was sworn in as Malaysia’s premier on Sunday, marking the return of a scandal-mired regime to power after the last government’s collapse but ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad slammed the move as illegal. Muhyiddin Yassin took the oath of office at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur, capping a week of political turmoil following the collapse of the former ruling coalition and Mahathir’s resignation. The Southeast Asian nation was plunged into turmoil a week ago following the collapse of 94-year-old Mahathir’s reformist “Pact of Hope” alliance, which stormed to a historic victory in 2018 against a government mired in corruption allegations. Mahathir — the world’s oldest leader — then quit and triggered a race for the premiership, which he lost to little-known Muhyiddin, who heads a coalition dominated by the country’s ethnic Malay Muslim majority. The decision by the monarch to pick Muhyiddin on Saturday caused widespread anger that the democratically elected gov

The first fatality from the novel coronavirus has been confirmed on US soil, as President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Americans not to panic. Health officials said the man who died in Washington state was one of a handful with no known links to global hot zones to have contracted the virus — indicating that the pathogen was now likely spreading in communities. The death occurred in King County, the most populous in the state and home to Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, officials told AFP. The victim was in his 50s and had “underlying health conditions,” said Jeff Duchin, public health officer for Seattle and King County. “It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19,” Washington state Governor Jay Inslee said in a statement, sending condolences to the victim’s loved ones. Inslee declared a state of emergency over coronavirus, freeing up funding for state agencies and allowing the use of the Washington National Guard, if necess

PESHAWAR: A child protection court has convicted a minor girl’s uncle and brother of sexual assault against her and awarded them life and 20 years imprisonment respectively. Judge Wadeeya Mushtaq Malik also handed down 20 years imprisonment and Rs100,000 fine to the girl’s mother for forcing her into prostitution. The court pronounced that the prosecution had proved charges against the accused, including girl’s maternal uncle Muzzamil, brother Fazal Dayan and mother Beguma. The prosecution had charged the two male accused under Pakistan Penal Code Section 276 (rape) and the woman under Section 371-A (forced prostitution). The judge convicted Muzzamil for raping his niece and sentenced him under PPC Section 376 to life imprisonment and fined him Rs100,000. Mother sentenced for forcing her into prostitution Fazal Dayan was not found guilty of raping his sister but as he was found guilty of sexually abusing her, the court convicted him under PPC Section 377-B (sexual abuse of a ch

ISLAMABAD: Amid dec­­lining trend on international markets, the government on Saturday reduced petroleum prices by Rs5-7 per litre for March. A notification issued by the Ministry of Finance said the prices of petrol and diesel have been cut by Rs5 each per litre to Rs111.60 and Rs122.26 respectively. The Oil and Gas Regul­atory Authority (Ogra) had calculated about Rs15 per litre reduction in the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) and petrol. Three different proposals were floated for price cuts as the Dubai Crude rate came down from $62 per barrel on Jan 31 to $50 a barrel on Friday, down 19.35 per cent. On the other hand, the benchmark Inter­national Brent price had fallen from $60 a barrel to $51 a barrel, down 18.33pc. However, the finance ministry and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) were trying their best to pass on about half of the price reduction calculated by Ogra to consumers and retain the remaining amount as windfall by increasing tax rates. Diesel and petrol are the mo

LAHORE: Kamran Kayani — a brother of former army chief Ashfaque Parvez Kayani and proclaimed offender in the DHA City land scam — has approached the Lahore High Court with a plea that denies all the allegations levelled against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). An accountability court in January last year had declared him a proclaimed offender in the scam worth billions of rupees. “I have been unlawfully implicated by NAB in two references,” Kayani said in two petitions filed in the court through Advocate Nadeem Kausar. The other reference Kayani faces is that of Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme scam. An accountability court declared Kayani a proclaimed offender in 2016 while NAB was clueless about his whereabouts. Two other suspects in the DHA City scam, Hammad Arshad and retired Brig Khalid Nazir Butt, have already been indicted. Last year an accountability court declared Kamran Kayani a proclaimed offender in the DHA City land scam NAB alleged that Globaco (Pvt

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said that Imran Khan is an elected prime minister and the Pakistan Army has a big role in taking the democratic process forward. On the other hand, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a “selected” premier who used to call Field Marshal Ayub Khan “daddy”, he said at a press conference here on Saturday. “He (Imran Khan) is an elected PM,” he said with a smile and sought another question after he was asked if, according to him, Mr Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were “selected” premiers, what he would say about Mr Khan since the opposition parties were calling him a “selected” PM. “I challenge anyone across the country to come and argue with me at any news channel where I would prove that Bhutto was a ‘selected’ PM. Please study history that says that Mohtarma Nusrat Bhutto made Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. I still say that most politicians are production of the GHQ’s Gate No 4,” Mr Rashid said. Provincial govts are responsible for manning unmanned r

COLOMBO: From an artificial island in Sri Lanka to a bridge in Bangladesh and hydropower projects in Nepal and Indonesia, China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road plan is stuttering under the effects of the deadly coronavirus. The outbreak that emerged in China in late December and spread to dozens of countries has cut off the Chinese labour supplies and equipment imports needed to keep major infrastructure projects running. More than 133 countries have imposed entry restrictions on Chinese citizens or people who have visited China to prevent the spread of the disease, data from China’s National Immigration Agency showed. China itself has imposed quarantines and travel curbs across the country to contain an epidemic that has killed more than 2,700 and infected around 79,000. Sri Lanka requires 14-day quarantine for people arriving from China, and insists projects ensure Chinese staff are restricted to construction sites and their dorms. At Colombo’s Port City — an artificial island t

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) missed tax collection target for first eight months (July-Feb) of the current financial year by a whopping Rs484 billion. According to provisional figures, the FBR has collected Rs2.725 trillion during this period against the target of Rs3.209tr. The figures, however, show a growth of 16.35 per cent compared to Rs2.342tr collected during the same period of last financial year. In February, the FBR posted a shortfall of Rs99bn by collecting Rs318bn against the target of Rs417bn for that month. The tax authority estimates it will collect another Rs1-2bn in book adjustments. In the tax year 2019, the number of return filers reached over 2.44 million against 2.9m of the previous year. More than double of the current growth levels would be req­uired to approach the annual target. However, figures show a growth of over 16pc compared to Rs2.342tr collected during the same period of last financial year FBR spokesperson confirmed to Dawn t

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday welcomed the signing of Doha Accord between the United States and Taliban as a major step towards peace in Afghanistan after 19 years of war and hoped that Afghan factions would avail this opportunity to reach a mutual accommodation. Pakistan was represented at the signing ceremony in the Qatar capital by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The agreement, under which the US committed to withdraw up to 5,000 troops in about four and a half months and all remaining forces within 14 months, if the deal holds, is expected to lead to initiation of intra-Afghan dialogue by March 10. “We welcome the Doha Accord signed between US and the Taliban. This is the start of a peace and reconciliation process to end decades of war and suffering of the Afghan people,” Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted and said he stood vindicated that a political solution was the only route to peace. Cautioning about the challenges ahead for the peace process, Mr Khan said: “N

THIS week’s ‘staff level’ agreement announced by the International Monetary Fund with the government of Pakistan may have surprised many economic experts as it is no secret that there still exists a wide gulf between the country’s targeted and realised tax collection. The resultant budget deficit stands at 7.4 per cent of the GDP and the country’s debt is projected at just under 79pc of the GDP. Growth has already fallen sharply to about half of what it was a mere three years back and continues to head southwards. It is difficult to see how the deficit and the debt can be cut as the government will need to pump some stimulus into the economy while still battling double-digit inflation. A very tough, some would argue impossible, task. According to reported figures in January this year, the shortfall in meeting the first six-month tax collection target was Rs287 billion, and this after the IMF, ceding to Pakistan’s request, had cut the annual target by nearly Rs265bn — that is, from

RAWALPINDI: The HBL Pakistan Super League action was badly disrupted on Friday after intermittent rains in the twin cities curtailed the second game of the Rawalpindi leg between 2017 champions Peshawar Zalmi and the Lahore Qalandars to a 12-over affair at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. Lahore Qalandars’ miserable run in the fifth edition continued as they capitulated to a third straight defeat after failing to chase down 133, losing by 16 runs in what was their eighth loss in nine fixtures against Peshawar Zalmi in PSL history. In contrast to the enthralling clash on Thursday in which defending champions Quetta Gladiators upstaged Islamabad United by five wickets, this fixture was a helter-skelter affair all the way after the start was delayed by almost two hours owing to intermittent rains. It had started raining just after midnight on Thursday and persisted through Friday, wrapping the ground in gloom. The diligent ground staff worked round the clock to make the arena as dry as possi

Amidst the recent spread of coronavirus in Pakistan, actor Hareem Farooq wants to spread another ‘very contagious’ virus. Hint: this virus is good for your health. Taking to Instagram on Friday, the Heer Maan Jaa actor said that the only kind of virus she wants to spread is ‘ khush raho na virus [stay happy virus] ’ . She went on to explain the elements of the virus that she wants to spread. “Its elements are joy, laughter, love, positivity and gratitude and it’s extremely contagious,” reads the post. View this post on Instagram Only kind of virus i want to spread is ‘khush raho na virus’. Its elements are joy, laughter, love, positivity and gratitude and it’s extremely contagious. No prevention required. Help me spread it as much as possible! #khushrahonavirus #behappyandsmile A post shared by Hareem Farooq (@hareemfarooq) on Feb 27, 2020 at 5:26am PST Farooq concluded that post by saying for her virus no prevention required. She also asked

A man accused of raping a 10-year-old girl was arrested on Friday in Khairpur, according to the police. According to the family, the girl had a mental disability. “The man lured her in and then raped her,” her father said. Doctors at a hospital examined the girl and took samples for forensic tests. A case has been registered against the suspect. According to the police, further investigations are under way. “We are waiting for the medical report to come out so that further action can be taken against the suspect,” a police officer said. The girl’s family has requested the government and the police to take strict action against the suspect. from SAMAA https://ift.tt/2T7t5fG

Washington and the Taliban are set to sign a long-sought deal in Doha on Saturday that would see the two foes agree to the withdrawal of thousands of US troops from Afghanistan in return for insurgent guarantees. The agreement, which could herald the start of a new era for Afghanistan after decades of conflict, is expected to also lead to a dialogue between the Kabul government and the Taliban that, if successful, could ultimately see the Afghan war wind down. But the position of the Afghan government, which has been excluded from direct US-Taliban talks, remains unclear and the country is gripped by a fresh political crisis amid contested election results.  The deal, drafted over a tempestuous year of dialogue marked by the abrupt cancellation of the effort by US President Donald Trump in September, is expected to lay out a timetable for a US force withdrawal. “There’s been so much speculation about the contents of the deal… we know the broad outlines but it’s not even clear wheth

The body of a two-year-old girl was found outside her house on Friday in Mardan’s Garhi Kapura, according to the police. Her family said she had been missing for three days. “She had gone out to play but never came back home,” her father Constable Laiq Zada said. The family had registered a missing persons complaint and were looking for her. “We have formed a joint investigation team which will look into the case and investigate it thoroughly,” DPO Sajjad Khan said. The girl’s body has been shifted to the RHC Hospital. Her uncle, however, claimed that the doctors on duty refused to conduct a post-mortem examination of the two-year-old after which the police had to intervene. According to the police, the cause of death will be revealed after the post-mortem reports come out. from SAMAA https://ift.tt/32Dcbc3

LAGOS: The sight of discarded plastic bottles and bags floating in the open drains of Nigeria’s megacity Lagos moved visual artist Adeyemi Emmanuel to despair. So one day last year he began collecting bits of discarded plastic and used them to make a backpack. Seeing a way to raise environmental awareness in fashion-conscious Nigeria, Emmanuel in November launched a line of bags, wallets and gift boxes made of 20% leather and around 80% plastic waste, called ECO. He collects chips of used plastic by hand, such as leftovers from picture frames, primarily from craft workshops. He then shapes them to fit his designs, spraypaints them and incorporates them into basic leather bags that he finds in second hand markets or gets from specialist leather shops. “I just keyed myself into creating something out of that waste,” said the 23-year-old, whose main job is a sculptor. The bags sell for between 8,000 and 30,000 naira ($22-$83) via Emmanuel’s Instagram account where his creations are s

LONDON: Britain’s Prince Harry and singer Jon Bon Jovi recreated one of the Beatles’ best-known album covers on Friday, walking across the zebra crossing outside Abbey Road recording studios in north London. Harry was at the studio to meet the singer and members of a military veterans’ choir in one of his last engagements as a senior member of the royal family. As countless Beatles fans have done since the 1969 release of the Abbey Road  album, the pair walked across the black and white pedestrian crossing, this time led by a military veteran in a wheelchair. Earlier, a video of the two wearing headphones, with Bon Jovi strumming a guitar before beginning to sing was posted on the official Instagram page of Harry and his American wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The couple announced in January that they would step down from their duties as senior royals, spend more time in North America and aim to become financially independent. The Invictus Games Choir, who are recor

LOS ANGELES: Filming of Netflix Inc’s big-budget Dwayne Johnson movie Red Notice  had been scheduled to move to Italy in the coming weeks, but producers now are exploring other locations due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, a source close to the production told Reuters on Friday. The possibility of relocating that portion of the production is not expected to force a hiatus in filming of the movie, which also stars Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds and Wonder Woman  actress Gal Gadot, the source said. Netflix has not announced a release date, and the company had no comment on production locations. Red Notice  is a global crime thriller about an Interpol agent who tracks the world’s most-wanted art thief. It is among the streaming service’s most-expensive movies to date with a budget of roughly $160 million, Hollywood trade publication Variety reported. Production on Red Notice  is currently underway in Atlanta, the location that had been planned to host the bulk of filming.