Headlines 9am: Coronavirus cases rise, Pakistan team leaves for England

Here are the headlines from SAMAA TV’s 9am bulletin.

• A 20-player squad has been announced for Pakistan’s tour of England. The national team will be leaving for Britain from Lahore via a special flight. Eighteen players who cleared the first coronavirus test tested negative during the second test as well. Chief Executive Wasim Khan said Muhammad Hafeez’s second test came back negative.
• The global coronavirus tally has almost reached 10 million. Around 500,000 people have died of the virus. Pakistan’s cases have risen to 200,000 with 4,000 deaths.
• Two people were killed and one injured when a car hit a parked truck near Sukkur’s City Bypass. The bodies and injured person were taken to Civil Hospital. Three people were critically injured in Karachi after a car crashed into a tree near the Korangi Crossing. They have been taken to Civil Hospital.
• Four people, including two children, were killed when a car hit a motorcycle and then crashed into a tree in Muzaffargarh. Two others were critically injured. The deceased children were both on the motorcycle. A man was killed after a bus overturned in Multan. Another two people were injured.
• CCTV footage of robberies at two medical stores in Mandi Bahauddin’s Malkowal has surfaced. The suspects stole money and mobile phones from the victims within three minutes. In Jhang, four suspects smashed the locks on a store and stole jewellery worth Rs800,000. Footage of that incident has also been made public.
• The government has blamed its sudden increase in petrol prices on higher global fuel prices. Petroleum Minister Omar Ayub says global petrol prices have risen 112% but the government only increased prices by 25%. He said today’s price (over Rs100 per litre) is still less than February’s. He said during the PML-N’s tenure, petrol prices went up by 31% in a single month. He said Nadeem Babar has nothing to do with the power division.
• The PML-N leadership has severely criticised the government for increasing fuel prices. Rejecting the price hike, Khawaja Asif said Pakistan and Imran Khan can not continue together. He advised the PTI to choose a new leader. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said they are in favour of legal change, not illegal change. He called for the prime minister’s resignation.
• India has granted 25,000 non-Kashmiris Kashmir domiciles. Thee people include government staffers. Pakistan has rejected this step and called it a flagrant violation of international laws.

from SAMAA https://ift.tt/2Afs5Qc