LAHORE, Pakistan: An explosion close to a major Sufi shrine in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore caused several casualties on Wednesday (May 8), officials said.The blast took place close to the Data Darbar, one of the largest shrines in South Asia, and several people including police officers had been wounded, Punjab province police spokesman Nayab Haider said. … [Read more...] about Blast near Sufi shrine in Pakistan, several casualties: Police
Pakistan
Uncapped Salt gets England call-up for Pakistan T20
REUTERS: England have called up uncapped Sussex batsman Phil Salt to replace Dawid Malan for Sunday's one-off Twenty20 match against Pakistan, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Saturday.The 22-year-old opener comes into the squad for the game in Cardiff after Malan suffered a groin injury while batting during Friday's scrappy four-wicket one-day international victory over Ireland.Salt scored 355 runs in England domestic T20 competition last year as Sussex reached the final.He joins the wider pool of players outside England's provisional squad for the 50-overs World Cup after scoring an unbeaten 137 off 106 balls in Sussex's domestic one-day win over Kent last month.(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond) … [Read more...] about Uncapped Salt gets England call-up for Pakistan T20
Pakistan demands Facebook remove polio vaccine misinformation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan urged Facebook to remove harmful polio-related content from the social networking site on Friday (May 3), saying it was jeopardising eradication initiatives and putting the lives of vaccinators at risk.Polio vaccination campaigns have faced stubborn resistance for years in Pakistan.In recent months Pakistani social media has been inundated with fake news reports and videos - garnering thousands of views and shares in the last week alone - claiming numerous children have been killed by the polio vaccine.Thousands of parents have refused to allow their children to be inoculated."The parental refusals due to propaganda on Facebook regarding the vaccine is emerging as the major obstacle in achieving complete eradication of the virus," Babar Atta, who is helping oversee the country's vaccination drive, said in a statement.Atta has requested "Facebook's management to block and/or manage the dissemination of such anti vaccination propaganda from their platforms operating … [Read more...] about Pakistan demands Facebook remove polio vaccine misinformation
Pakistan’s ex-PM Sharif to return to jail after bail rejected
ISLAMABAD (DPA) - Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday (May 3) rejected a plea by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to extend his six-week temporary bail set to expire on Tuesday, officials said. Sharif, who is serving a seven-year jail term after his conviction for corruption in December by an anti-graft tribunal, is now set to return to prison in the eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday. The Supreme Court in March gave Sharif temporary bail of six weeks to allow him to seek treatment for heart conditions and diabetes. Sharif sought another eight-week extension and asked the court to lift a travel ban on him because the former leader wanted to undergo surgery in London, his lawyer Khawaja Haris said. Sharif, a three-time premier who was removed by the country's Supreme Court in 2017, has been under treatment for heart complications at a hospital in Lahore. Sharif and his children - two sons and a daughter - were charged with three counts of corruption during his two periods in power in … [Read more...] about Pakistan’s ex-PM Sharif to return to jail after bail rejected
Pakistan police arrest doctor after 90 infected by HIV syringe
KARACHI: At least 90 people, including 65 children, are believed to have been infected with the HIV virus in Pakistan by a doctor using a contaminated syringe, officials said Friday (May 3). "We have arrested a doctor after receiving complaints from the health authorities," said Kamran Nawaz, the local police chief heading the case in the southern city of Larkana."We are told that the doctor also has HIV," he said.Authorities were first alerted last week after 18 children from a town on the outskirts of the city tested positive for the virus, which causes AIDS, prompting health officials to carry out wider screenings.Dozens more infections were found."More than 90 people have tested HIV positive and the number of children is around 65," Dr Abdul Rehaman, a district health official in Larkana, told AFP.A second official confirmed the outbreak, although gave slightly different figures.Authorities said they traced the outbreak to a single doctor, who appears to have been using a … [Read more...] about Pakistan police arrest doctor after 90 infected by HIV syringe