At least 18 elephants are believed to have been killed in India’s Assam state after a bolt of lightning hit the herd. The incident happened in the hilly Kandali Proposed Reserve Forest in the Forest Department’s Kathiatoli Range in Nagaon district. “The local staff said 18 elephants have died and lightning is most likely the cause,” Assam’s Chief Wildlife Warden, …

Early on Friday, just after midnight, the Israeli military put out an ominous statement to the media: “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.” The terse statement set off frenzied speculation that Israel had launched a ground invasion of Gaza — a much-feared scenario that would mark a bloody escalation of this week’s operation against …

An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft successfully landed on the surface of Mars on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported, making China the second space-faring nation after the United States to land on the Red Planet. The Tianwen-1 spacecraft landed on a site on a vast plain known as Utopia Planitia, “leaving a Chinese footprint on Mars for the first time,” Xinhua said. The …

Israeli planes renewed air strikes in Gaza early on Saturday and Hamas fighters responded by firing rockets into Israel as the fighting entered a fifth night and US and Arab diplomats sought an end to the violence. Palestinian medics said at least 12 people were killed overnight in air strikes throughout Gaza. Health officials said a woman and her three …

Farooq Qaiser alias Uncle Sargam passed away in Islamabad on Friday due to cardiac arrest, his family confirmed. His grandson, Hasnain Qaiser Iqbal, said he had been suffering from a heart ailment for some time. He added that his condition worsened on Friday after which an ambulance rushed him to a hospital but he could not be revived. He is …

The Pakistan Meteorological Department on Saturday issued an alert for Cyclone Tauktae, predicting rainfall and gusty winds in part of Sindh from May 17 (Monday) to May 20 (Thursday). According to the alert, the depression over the southeast Arabian Sea has intensified into a cyclonic storm and lay centered at a distance of about 1,460km south-southeast of Karachi.   “Maximum …

The Sindh government on Saturday shot down reports claiming it had banned the Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine. Wahab clarified in a tweet that fresh doses of the vaccine had been stopped for the time being. “This decision has been made to ensure adequate supply for people who have already received their 1st dose of Sinopharm #SayYesToVaccine,” he added. Wahab’s clarification was …

Eighty-three more people died from the  coronavirus in a single day across Pakistan on Friday, as per data from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). Pakistan reported 1,531 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, with 83 more dying from the infection. The NCOC said Pakistan conducted 30,248 tests of the infection, with the positivity ration …

LAHORE: Punjab government has been mulling over extending COVID lockdown in the province for another week, previously imposed to restrict movement on Eid,. According to sources having knowledge of the provincial decision-making, the provincial government has mulled regarding extending the lockdown from May 16 to May 24. “A consensus has been made among the provincial authorities that extending the lockdown …

ISLAMABAD: In a sharp decline, Pakistan on Saturday reported less than 2,000 COVID-19 cases and 83 deaths during the past 24 hours, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). According to statistics shared by the NCOC, as many as 30,248 tests were performed during the past 24 hours, which resulted in a 5.06 percent positivity ratio or 1,531 cases. The death …