Coronavirus: Pakistan reports six deaths, 671 new infections

Pakistan reported six more coronavirus-related deaths during the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll from the disease to 6,558.

As many as 33,365 samples were tested during this period, out of which 671 turned out to be positive, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

The number of Covid-19 cases across the country has reached 318,266 with the addition of 671 new cases. There are 8,646 active Covid-19 cases as 303,061 patients have recuperated from the disease.

More than 3.8 million tests have been conducted in the country so far. 475 of the patients under treatment at various hospitals across the country are said to be in critical condition.

So far, Sindh has reported 139,910 cases of the coronavirus, Punjab 100,484, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 38,273, Balochistan 15,498, Islamabad 17,210, Gilgit Baltistan 3,900, and Azad Jammu and Kahsmir 2,991.

Yesterday, the NCOC observed that the coronavirus situation can become critical if SOPs are violated by wedding halls and rolled out a set of new guidelines for them to prevent the resurgence of cases. As per the new SOPs, only 300 guests inside the halls and 500 guests for the outdoor function will be allowed. The duration of ceremonies has also been reduced to two hours.

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Armenia, Azerbaijan agree on ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh

After nearly two weeks of fierce clashes, the two arch-rivals, Armenia and Azerbaijan on Saturday reached to a ceasefire and to initiate "substantive talks" over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Bitter fighting in the central Asian region has claimed hundreds of lives, forced thousands to flee, and stirred fears of a full-blown war that could suck in regional powers Turkey and Russia.

Speaking after 11 hours of Moscow-mediated talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the warring sides had agreed to a ceasefire from "12 hours 00 minutes on October 10 on humanitarian grounds."

It was not immediately clear whether the pause in fighting would come into effect at noon in Moscow or the local time in Karabakh.

During the ceasefire, mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the parties will exchange bodies and prisoners, Lavrov said, reading from a statement.

"Concrete parameters of the ceasefire will be agreed separately," the statement added.

Russia´s top diplomat also said that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to start negotiating a peaceful solution to the territorial dispute.

"Azerbaijan and Armenia begin substantive negotiations with the purpose of achieving a peaceful settlement as soon as possible," Lavrov told reporters, adding that such talks would be mediated by France, Russia and the US.

Renewed fighting over Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian region of Azerbaijan that broke from Baku´s control in a devastating war in the early 1990s, has claimed some 400 lives and forced thousands of people from their homes.

The heavy clashes erupted late last month, with both sides blaming the other for the biggest outbreak in violence since a 1994 ceasefire left the status of Karabakh in limbo.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has repeatedly vowed to use his military to retake the breakaway province, said earlier that the talks represented a historic opportunity for Armenia.

"We are giving Armenia a chance to settle the conflict peacefully," he said. "This is their last chance."

Armenia´s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his country was "ready for the resumption of the peace process" led by international brokers.

Heavy clashes continued into Friday, Armenian and Azerbaijani defence officials said, with further civilian deaths reported, even after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the Moscow meeting and appealed for a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.

Shelling started again in Stepanakert, the provincial capital of Karabakh, where an AFP journalist heard several explosions and saw the remains of a rocket in a crater next to a cemetery for dead soldiers.

A spokesman for the Armenian defence ministry told reporters on Friday that fighting continued despite the negotiations in Moscow.

Mediation efforts

The region's declaration of independence has not been recognised by any country, even Armenia, and the international community regards it as part of Azerbaijan.

The return of fighting has stoked fears in the West of a full-blown war embroiling Turkey, which strongly backs Azerbaijan, and Russia, which has a military treaty with Armenia.

Discussions in Moscow, Azerbaijan and Armenia´s first high-level talks since the fighting broke out took place after Putin called for an end to hostilities and invited the two nations´ foreign ministers to the city.

Putin´s announcement came shortly after mediators from France, Russia and the US, known as the "Minsk Group", launched efforts in Geneva to end the latest flare-up.

The group has sought a solution to the Karabakh conflict for decades but has failed to stop sporadic outbreaks of fighting.

Negotiations in Geneva went ahead without Armenia, which refused to participate while the fighting was ongoing, and there were no public statements following the closed-door talks.

Mounting civilian toll

Since the conflict restarted both sides have accused the other of shelling areas populated by civilians and thousands of people have been displaced by the clashes.

Stepanakert is dotted with damaged buildings and unexploded ordnance following days of shelling. AFP journalists have also witnessed destruction in villages in Azerbaijan near the front line.

Armenia accused Azerbaijan on Thursday of hitting the Ghazanchetsots (Holy Saviour) Cathedral leaving a gaping hole in its roof and several journalists injured.

Armenia´s rights ombudsman Artak Beglaryan told AFP this week that the fighting has displaced around half of Karabakh´s 140,000 residents and forced some 90 percent of its women and children from their homes.

Dozens of civilians have been confirmed killed and the Armenian side has acknowledged 350 military deaths, while Azerbaijan has not admitted to any fatalities among its troops.

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Britain's PM Boris Johnson to make statement to parliament on COVID-19 restrictions

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a statement to parliament on Monday about potential new lockdown restrictions, as the government seeks to tackle a rapidly accelerating second wave of the coronavirus outbreak.

The average daily number of COVID-19 cases in England has doubled in a week, a survey showed on Friday, but the government is facing growing opposition to lockdown measures which have wrought some of the worst economic damage in at least a century.

“The rising incidence in parts of the country mean that it is very likely that certain local areas will face further restrictions,” Edward Lister, a senior aide to the prime minister, said in a letter to lawmakers. “The government is hoping to finalise these details as soon as possible. This pace is imperative if we are to control the spread of the virus.”

The United Kingdom already has the highest official COVID-19 death toll in Europe - 42,679 - while it is borrowing record amounts to pump emergency money through the damaged economy.

As Johnson grapples with both COVID-19 and dissent in party ranks, the economic damage was laid bare on Friday. Gross domestic product rose in August by 2.1% from July, official data showed, not even half the median forecast in a Reuters poll of economists.

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Coronavirus: Pakistan reports six deaths, 671 new infections

Pakistan reported six more coronavirus-related deaths during the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll from the disease to 6,558.

As many as 33,365 samples were tested during this period, out of which 671 turned out to be positive, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

The number of Covid-19 cases across the country has reached 318,266 with the addition of 671 new cases. There are 8,646 active Covid-19 cases as 303,061 patients have recuperated from the disease.

More than 3.8 million tests have been conducted in the country so far. 475 of the patients under treatment at various hospitals across the country are said to be in critical condition.

So far, Sindh has reported 139,910 cases of the coronavirus, Punjab 100,484, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 38,273, Balochistan 15,498, Islamabad 17,210, Gilgit Baltistan 3,900, and Azad Jammu and Kahsmir 2,991.

Yesterday, the NCOC observed that the coronavirus situation can become critical if SOPs are violated by wedding halls and rolled out a set of new guidelines for them to prevent the resurgence of cases. As per the new SOPs, only 300 guests inside the halls and 500 guests for the outdoor function will be allowed. The duration of ceremonies has also been reduced to two hours.

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Armenia, Azerbaijan agree on ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh

After nearly two weeks of fierce clashes, the two arch-rivals, Armenia and Azerbaijan on Saturday reached to a ceasefire and to initiate "substantive talks" over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Bitter fighting in the central Asian region has claimed hundreds of lives, forced thousands to flee, and stirred fears of a full-blown war that could suck in regional powers Turkey and Russia.

Speaking after 11 hours of Moscow-mediated talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the warring sides had agreed to a ceasefire from "12 hours 00 minutes on October 10 on humanitarian grounds."

It was not immediately clear whether the pause in fighting would come into effect at noon in Moscow or the local time in Karabakh.

During the ceasefire, mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the parties will exchange bodies and prisoners, Lavrov said, reading from a statement.

"Concrete parameters of the ceasefire will be agreed separately," the statement added.

Russia´s top diplomat also said that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to start negotiating a peaceful solution to the territorial dispute.

"Azerbaijan and Armenia begin substantive negotiations with the purpose of achieving a peaceful settlement as soon as possible," Lavrov told reporters, adding that such talks would be mediated by France, Russia and the US.

Renewed fighting over Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian region of Azerbaijan that broke from Baku´s control in a devastating war in the early 1990s, has claimed some 400 lives and forced thousands of people from their homes.

The heavy clashes erupted late last month, with both sides blaming the other for the biggest outbreak in violence since a 1994 ceasefire left the status of Karabakh in limbo.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has repeatedly vowed to use his military to retake the breakaway province, said earlier that the talks represented a historic opportunity for Armenia.

"We are giving Armenia a chance to settle the conflict peacefully," he said. "This is their last chance."

Armenia´s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his country was "ready for the resumption of the peace process" led by international brokers.

Heavy clashes continued into Friday, Armenian and Azerbaijani defence officials said, with further civilian deaths reported, even after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the Moscow meeting and appealed for a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.

Shelling started again in Stepanakert, the provincial capital of Karabakh, where an AFP journalist heard several explosions and saw the remains of a rocket in a crater next to a cemetery for dead soldiers.

A spokesman for the Armenian defence ministry told reporters on Friday that fighting continued despite the negotiations in Moscow.

Mediation efforts

The region's declaration of independence has not been recognised by any country, even Armenia, and the international community regards it as part of Azerbaijan.

The return of fighting has stoked fears in the West of a full-blown war embroiling Turkey, which strongly backs Azerbaijan, and Russia, which has a military treaty with Armenia.

Discussions in Moscow, Azerbaijan and Armenia´s first high-level talks since the fighting broke out took place after Putin called for an end to hostilities and invited the two nations´ foreign ministers to the city.

Putin´s announcement came shortly after mediators from France, Russia and the US, known as the "Minsk Group", launched efforts in Geneva to end the latest flare-up.

The group has sought a solution to the Karabakh conflict for decades but has failed to stop sporadic outbreaks of fighting.

Negotiations in Geneva went ahead without Armenia, which refused to participate while the fighting was ongoing, and there were no public statements following the closed-door talks.

Mounting civilian toll

Since the conflict restarted both sides have accused the other of shelling areas populated by civilians and thousands of people have been displaced by the clashes.

Stepanakert is dotted with damaged buildings and unexploded ordnance following days of shelling. AFP journalists have also witnessed destruction in villages in Azerbaijan near the front line.

Armenia accused Azerbaijan on Thursday of hitting the Ghazanchetsots (Holy Saviour) Cathedral leaving a gaping hole in its roof and several journalists injured.

Armenia´s rights ombudsman Artak Beglaryan told AFP this week that the fighting has displaced around half of Karabakh´s 140,000 residents and forced some 90 percent of its women and children from their homes.

Dozens of civilians have been confirmed killed and the Armenian side has acknowledged 350 military deaths, while Azerbaijan has not admitted to any fatalities among its troops.

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Britain's PM Boris Johnson to make statement to parliament on COVID-19 restrictions

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a statement to parliament on Monday about potential new lockdown restrictions, as the government seeks to tackle a rapidly accelerating second wave of the coronavirus outbreak.

The average daily number of COVID-19 cases in England has doubled in a week, a survey showed on Friday, but the government is facing growing opposition to lockdown measures which have wrought some of the worst economic damage in at least a century.

“The rising incidence in parts of the country mean that it is very likely that certain local areas will face further restrictions,” Edward Lister, a senior aide to the prime minister, said in a letter to lawmakers. “The government is hoping to finalise these details as soon as possible. This pace is imperative if we are to control the spread of the virus.”

The United Kingdom already has the highest official COVID-19 death toll in Europe - 42,679 - while it is borrowing record amounts to pump emergency money through the damaged economy.

As Johnson grapples with both COVID-19 and dissent in party ranks, the economic damage was laid bare on Friday. Gross domestic product rose in August by 2.1% from July, official data showed, not even half the median forecast in a Reuters poll of economists.

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Every PML-N MNA will resign before Senate polls: Khawaja Asif

PML-N leader and former foreign minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that when the Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) anti-government protest will reach its peak, every lawmaker of the party will resign from the National Assembly.

Asif was addressing the PML-N's Convention of Parliamentarians and Ticket-holders where he criticised the government. "The economy has been destroyed, the peace of the people has been taken away. How much longer will the nation continue to pay such a high price for this?" he said.

The former foreign minister said that when the anti-government protest campaign reaches its peak, all PML-N lawmakers will resign from the National Assembly.

"We will see then on which electoral college does the government hold the Senate elections," he said.

The development comes after last month's All Parties Conference held by the opposition parties who despite forming the PDM alliance and agreeing on the need for the incumbent government to go home, could not agree to resign from the assemblies.

According to sources, a heated debate ensued on the matter of resigning from the provincial and national assemblies, with the issue being discussed at length between the leaders of the major parties attending.

However, the decision to quit the assemblies was ultimately abandoned even though PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at one point in the discussions offered to submit their party's resignations to each other.

Bilawal had offered that he submit his party's resignations to Nawaz, who could then present the entire opposition’s resignations to the National Assembly Speaker upon his return to Pakistan.

The PML-N supremo, when presented with the offer, said he was not against the idea but wished to first put the PTI-led government under pressure before opting for the step.

"You give me the PPP's resignations and I will give you the PML-N's resignations and you can then hand over all of them to JUI-F's Maulana Fazlur Rehman," Nawaz had reportedly said in response.

The PML-N is the largest opposition party in the country, with 84 seats in the 342-member parliament. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), with 55 seats.

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