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Pakistan's Hindu minister attacked in Sindh by protesters opposing govt's canal
A Pakistani Hindu Minister of State was attacked in Sindh by protestors opposing the federal government's controversial irrigation canal projects on the pretext that it would reduce the downward flow of rivers that are key for irrigation in the southern province. Kheal Das Kohistani, state minister for religious affairs in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government, was driving through the Thatta district of the province on Saturday when his motorcade was pelted with tomatoes and potatoes. Officials said that Kohistani remained unharmed in the attack. Prime Minister Shehbaz strongly condemned the attack on Kohistani and assured him of a thorough investigation into the incident. "The attack on the public representatives is unacceptable. The persons involved in the incident would be given exemplary punishment," he said. Kohistani is a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the protesters also chanted slogans against the party's federal government. Federal Minister for Information Atta Tarar also took notice of the incident and declared it "an attack". He also sought details of the incident from Sindh Inspector General Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon and a report from the federal interior secretary. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also strongly condemned the act in the strongest terms. In his statement, he said that no one has the right to take the law into their own hands. He directed the Deputy Inspector General of police for the Hyderabad region to immediately arrest the miscreants involved in the attack and submit a report. According to personal details on the website of the National Assembly, Kohistani hails from the Jamshoro district of Sindh and he was for the first time elected as a member of the parliament in 2018 on the ticket of PML-N. After serving for the full five-year term, he was reelected in 2024 and also got the nod for elevation to become Minister of State. The federal government has announced that there is a proposal to construct six canals in the Punjab province to irrigate land in the Cholistan region under the Green Pakistan Initiative, a project having the support of the powerful army, the federal government and the Punjab provincial administration. However, various parties and nationalist groups in Sindh have been protesting against the project with the plea that the canals would reduce the downstream flow of water and adversely affect irrigation in the province. The attackers were protesting against the proposed canals. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2025 03:52 PM IST | Islamabad | PTI
Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to prevent terrorist attacks across borders
Pakistan and Afghanistan have reached an agreement to prevent terrorists from using their soil to carry out attacks against each other, as reported by Dawn. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, assured that both countries would take joint responsibility in addressing such threats. Dar is in Kabul to discuss the security issues amid the deteriorating relations in the wake of terrorist attacks. The visit follows the latest meeting of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Coordination Committee in Kabul. Pakistan's delegation was led by Ambassador Sadiq Khan, the country's special representative for Afghanistan, Dawn reported. Addressing a press conference after talks with many Afghan officials, Dar said: "We have requested our hosts that we have to work together for the progress, betterment and peace and security of the region. For that, neither will we allow anyone to use our soil to conduct illicit activities in Afghanistan and graciously nor will you allow anyone to use [Afghan soil]." "We both countries will strictly deal with and no one will be permitted to -- there is no permission either way -- use our land to use against the other for any security [risk] or terrorism. If someone does, then we both will be responsible to take action against such elements in our countries and stop them." FM Dar thanked the Afghan side for hosting Pakistan and extended an invitation for them to visit Islamabad. Dar said that problems between neighbouring countries could be smoothly sorted out and prevented only when relations were maintained, diplomatic activities continued, and committees worked regularly. Emphasising the need to deepen bilateral relations between the two countries, Dar requested that trade delegations and exhibitions between the two countries also be facilitated, as such activities were highly necessary to ramp up trade, prosperity, and business between the neighbours. Tension had escalated between the two countries after Pakistan launched air strikes against the Pakistani Taliban in retaliation for the killing of their 16 soldiers. Following a series of airstrikes to wipe out the terrorists, an exchange of fire at the border was shared between Afghan and Taliban forces. Since then, the tensions have risen between the two countries along the border. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2025 01:47 PM IST | Kabul | ANI
Trump admin asks Supreme Court to permit deportations under alternative laws
After the US Supreme Court temporarily barred the deportation of migrants, President Donald Trump's administration has urged the apex court to allow the use of alternative laws to remove a group of Venezuelan migrants detained in Texas, CNN reported. Following the Supreme Court's order, the US Justice Department argued that the justices should deny the request to halt deportations under the controversial wartime authority provided by the Alien Enemies Act. The Justice Department further urged the Supreme Court to provide clarity that it may remove at least some of the same migrants under less controversial immigration laws. The Supreme Court's order did not distinguish between deportations under the Alien Enemies Act and other laws, CNN reported. The court said, "The government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this court." Earlier, the White House said in a statement Saturday morning that "President Trump promised the American people to use all lawful measures to remove the threat of terrorist illegal aliens, like members of (Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua), from the United States." "We are confident in the lawfulness of the Administration's actions and in ultimately prevailing against an onslaught of meritless litigation brought by radical activists who care more about the rights of terrorist aliens than those of the American people," said press secretary Karoline Leavitt, as reported by CNN. Previously, a Federal Judge in Washington DC told lawyers for migrants in Texas who believed the Trump administration was about to swiftly deport them under the Alien Enemies Act that he did not have the power to pause the deportations, even though he was concerned about the administration's actions, CNN reported. The dispute between SC and the administration reflects Donald Trump's aggressive stance on deportations. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2025 01:46 PM IST | Washington | ANI
From dough to Dior
One minute he’s slinging slices at Scarr’s in NYC, the next he’s strutting in Paris Fashion Week. Christiano Wennmann, the 24-year-old pizzaiolo, has turned into a runway rocket. Discovered by pure accident where a fashion assistant walked in for a pie and left with a model—Wennmann went from pepperoni to posing for Willy Chavarria’s underwear line in literal weeks. No biggie. A lucky instance has now made Christiano’s life as he has now upgraded from a pizza guy to a straight up NY model The Paris gig? Instant smash. Wennmann owned the catwalk, got signed by a top agency, and landed spreads in HERO and Dazed. Since then, he’s modelled for brands like Sami Miro and had his Insta blow up. But fame hasn’t gone to his flour-dusted head—he’s still flipping pizzas back home at Scarr’s. Owning every catwalk, he has landed spreads in classics like HERO and Dazed “Modelling doesn’t change who I am,” he says. “I’m still the same guy.” Customers now fangirl mid-order. “Weren’t you just in Paris?” But he keeps it humble. It’s giving main character energy. Wennmann joins the ranks of accidental icons like Maleesha Kharwa and Rita Gaviola—living proof that your big break might just walk in asking for a slice. A book brigade? Deemed a “practical move” by the owner, the book brigade is magical. Pic/Instagram @serendipity_books_chelsea (right) Chelsea locals formed a human chain to help Serendipity Books move shop. Pic/Instagram@serendipity_books_chelsea In the most wholesome plot twist of the week, a tiny town in Michigan passed the books—all 9,100 of them. Chelsea locals formed a human chain to help Serendipity Books move shop, passing every single title hand to hand down an entire block and onto the new shelves. Owner Michelle Tuplin called it a “practical” move. In just under two hours, the brigade turned into a book-loving block party. Ain’t it funny (when no one knows you?) Jennifer Lopez. Pic/Instagram@jlo Jennifer Lopez got hit with a dose of humble pie when a dude on the street had zero clue who she was—like a random NPC. Later, she called fan-voted awards her “feels trip,” proving even celebrities crave validation and can get a bit of an ego-check. Lopez rocked at the awards... but still got slightly slayed on the roads of New York City. Neigh is the new yay This horse of Absolute Agreement and Understanding has been going viral. PIC/INSTAGRAM@horseknows TikTok’s latest oracle? A vigorously nodding horse. Dubbed the Horse of Absolute Agreement and Understanding, this equine icon says “yes” (with Björk in the background) to everything from bad decisions to emotional damage. Its opposite—Horse of Disapproval—just shakes its head. Truly the horse world’s answer to everything is “Yes, man!” Go little rockstar The event hosted the world’s largest sperm race in LA. Representational PIC/ISTOCK Ready, set, swim! On April 25, LA is hosting the world’s first live-streamed sperm race—yes! This is going to be an actual sperm sprinting 20cm under a microscope. Backed by tech bros with $1 million (whoa!), the event aims to spotlight plummeting male fertility rates (down 50 percent since 1973). Think Formula 1, but way, way smaller. Soap? Nope A former nurse ditches all modern hygiene standards. PIC/PINTEREST@FactyHealthy No shampoo, no toothpaste, no deodorant—and Brittany Bland swears she’s never felt better. (calling it cap right now). The 41-year-old mum of three from Ohio ditched modern hygiene for baking soda and vinegar, healed her cavities “naturally,” and now runs a holistic business after years of misdiagnosis, surgeries, and chronic pain. Caught in the act A woman in Andalucia, Spain, who claimed to have lost her ability to speak after a 2003 workplace assault, was exposed as a fraud after a private detective recorded her yapping freely. The court has cut her disability pension (as they should). She now faces legal action to repay 16 years’ benefits, which is insanely a lot of money.
20 April,2025 07:42 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
Ukraine-Russia war: Putin announces Easter ceasefire
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary Easter ceasefire in Ukraine starting Saturday, citing humanitarian reasons, as Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds of captured soldiers in the largest exchange since Moscow’s full-scale invasion started over three years ago. According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from 8:20 PM IST on Saturday to midnight following Easter Sunday. “We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow our example. At the same time, our troops must be ready to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations from the enemy, any of its aggressive actions,” Putin said at a meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, in a video shared by the Kremlin’s Press Service. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the ceasefire “another attempt by Putin to play with human lives.” He wrote on X that “air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine,” and “Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life.” In response to the ceasefire announcement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Kyiv had in March “agreed unconditionally to the US proposal of a full interim ceasefire for 30 days,” which Russia rejected. “Putin has now made statements about his alleged readiness for a ceasefire. 30 hours instead of 30 days,” Sybiha continued, writing on X. “Unfortunately, we have had a long history of his statements not matching his actions.” The two sides meanwhile exchanged hundreds of POWs on Saturday. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that 246 Russian service members were returned from territory controlled by Kyiv, and that “as a gesture of goodwill” 31 wounded Ukrainian POWs were transferred in exchange for 15 wounded Russian soldiers in need of urgent medical care. Zelensky said that 277 Ukrainian “warriors” have returned home from Russian captivity. Both sides thanked the United Arab Emirates for their mediation. Putin’s ceasefire announcement came after U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding three-year war. Trump spoke shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US may “move on” from trying to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress in the coming days, after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to the fighting. In January 2023, Putin had ordered his forces in Ukraine to observe a unilateral, 36-hour cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas. Zelensky had dismissed it as playing for time to prepare additional attacks. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2025 07:42 AM IST | Moscow | Agencies
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill over 90 people, Palestinians say
Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 90 people in the last 48 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday, as Israeli troops ramp up attacks to pressure Hamas to release its hostages and disarm. The dead include 15 people who were killed overnight, among them women and children, some of whom were sheltering in a designated humanitarian zone, according to hospital staff. At least 11 people were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, several of them in a tent in the Mwasi area where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living, hospital worker said. Israel has designated it as a humanitarian zone. Four other people were killed in separate strikes in Rafah city, including a mother and her daughter, according to the European Hospital, where the bodies were brought. Israel has vowed to intensify attacks across Gaza and occupy large “security zones” inside the strip. For six weeks, Israel also has blockaded Gaza, barring the entry of food and other goods. On Saturday, Dr Hanan Balkhy, the head of the World Health Organisation’s eastern Mediterranean office, urged the new US ambassador in Israel, Mike Huckabee, to push the country to lift Gaza’s blockade so medicines and other aid can enter the strip. “I would wish for him to go in and see the situation firsthand,” she said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2025 07:42 AM IST | Deir Al-Balah | Agencies
Hezbollah refuses to hand over weapons while Israeli troops remain in Southern L
The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said early on Saturday that its fighters will not disarm as long as Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon and the Israeli air force regularly violates Lebanese air space. Naim Kassem addressed supporters in a speech broadcast on Hezbollah’s television station. Kassem took over Hezbollah after Israeli airstrikes killed longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, his successor Hashem Safieddine and other top Hezbollah figures last year, decimating the group’s leadership. Kassem said Hezbollah had implemented its commitments related to the US-brokered ceasefire that halted the fighting in Hezbollah’s latest, 14-month war with Israel. Since the ceasefire went into effect in late November, Israeli airstrikes have killed scores of people in Lebanon including civilians and Hezbollah members. Israel says it’s targeting Hezbollah holdouts in southern Lebanon. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2025 07:42 AM IST | Beirut | Agencies
Targeted on basis of their tattoos, not gang members: Attorneys of Venezuelans
The US Supreme Court on Saturday paused the Trump administration's deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th-century law. US President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA) last month to begin rounding up Venezuelan migrants accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang before expelling them to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. The obscure law has only previously been used during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. "The government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this court," the Supreme Court's brief order issued early Saturday said. The order came after rights lawyers filed an emergency appeal to halt the deportation of migrants currently held in a facility in the southern state of Texas. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in its emergency filing on Friday night that the group of Venezuelans held in Texas had been told "they will be imminently removed under the AEA, as soon as tonight." Attorneys for several of the Venezuelans previously deported had said their clients were not members of Tren de Aragua, had committed no crimes and were targeted largely on the basis of their tattoos. Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to expel millions of undocumented migrants, has accused Venezuela of "perpetrating an invasion" of the United States through the entry of alleged Tren de Aragua members. The Supreme Court said this month that anyone facing deportation under the AEA must first be given an opportunity to legally challenge their removal. - 'Imminent removal' - The ACLU said in its filing on Friday that the migrants in Texas were in danger of "being removed from the United States without notice or an opportunity to be heard." "Many individuals have already been loaded on to buses, presumably headed to the airport," the rights group said. The Trump administration went ahead with the initial deportations of alleged Tren de Aragua members under the AEA in March despite an order by federal judge James Boasberg blocking the move. Judges and lawmakers are now wrangling with Salvadoran officials over the fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was deported last month due to what the White House later said was an "administrative error." The Supreme Court lifted the block on April 7, in the same decision where it said people facing deportation are entitled to due process. The deported migrants are currently held in El Salvador's maximum security Terrorism Confinement Center, a mega-prison southeast of the capital San Salvador with capacity for 40,000 prisoners. Inmates there are packed in windowless cells, sleep on metal beds with no mattresses and are forbidden visitors. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2025 04:11 PM IST | Washington | AFP
Indian student killed by stray bullet in Canada's Ontario
A 21-year-old Indian student was killed in Canada after she was struck by a stray bullet as she was waiting at a bus stop on her way to work and shots were fired by a car occupant, reported news agency PTI. Harsimrat Randhawa was a student at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton Police is investigating the homicide that happened Wednesday, saying Randhawa was an innocent bystander, reported PTI. The Consulate General of India in Toronto said in a post on X Friday, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Indian student Harsimrat Randhawa in Hamilton, Ontario." The official added, "As per local police, she was an innocent victim, fatally struck by a stray bullet during a shooting incident involving two vehicles. A homicide investigation is currently underway. We are in close contact with her family and are extending all necessary assistance. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family during this difficult time." We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Indian student Harsimrat Randhawa in Hamilton, Ontario. As per local police, she was an innocent victim, fatally struck by a stray bullet during a shooting incident involving two vehicles. A homicide investigation is currently… — IndiainToronto (@IndiainToronto) April 18, 2025 Hamilton Police in a statement said that at around 7.30 pm local time, it received reports of a shooting near Upper James and South Bend Road streets in Hamilton. When police arrived, they found Randhawa with a gunshot wound to the chest. She was rushed to a hospital, but succumbed, reported PTI. Through collected video, investigators have determined that a passenger of a black car fired at the occupants of a white sedan. Shortly after the shooting, the vehicles left the scene. Shots from the shooting incident also entered the rear window of a residence nearby where the occupants were watching television a few feet away. No one was injured in the home, police said. Investigators are asking anyone with dashcam or security camera footage between 7.15 pm and 7.45 pm near the shooting area to contact authorities and provide any information that can help further the investigation, reported PTI. (With inputs from PTI)
19 April,2025 11:08 AM IST | New York | mid-day online correspondent
Lawsuit challenges Trump administration crackdown on international students
A class action lawsuit filed Friday asks a federal court to reinstate the legal status of international students caught up in a Trump administration crackdown that has left more than a thousand fearful of deportation. The suit filed by several American Civil Liberties Union affiliates seeks to represent more than 100 students in New England and Puerto Rico. "International students are a vital community in our state's universities, and no administration should be allowed to circumvent the law to unilaterally strip students of status, disrupt their studies, and put them at risk of deportation," said Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire. At schools around the country, students have seen their visas revoked or their legal status terminated, typically with little notice. About 1,100 students at more than 170 colleges, universities and university systems have been affected since late March, according to an Associated Press review of university statements, correspondence with school officials and court records. The AP is working to confirm reports of hundreds more students affected. Students have filed other lawsuits arguing they were denied due process. Federal judges have granted temporary restraining orders in New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Montana, shielding students from efforts to remove them from the US. Plaintiffs in the new lawsuit, filed in federal court in New Hampshire, learned without warning their F-1 student statuses had been terminated, leaving in doubt their ability to stay in the country and finish their studies, according to the complaint. One of them, Manikanta Pasula of India, was on the brink of getting his master's in computer science at Rivier University in New Hampshire and applying to remain in the country through a work programme for international students. Hangrui Zhang of China had come to the US for a PhD programme in electronic and computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. Now, he cannot work as a research assistant, which was his only source of income, the complaint said. The government did not give notice it is required to provide before terminating a foreign student's legal status, the lawyers said. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was revoking visas held by visitors who were acting counter to national interests, including some who protested Israel's war in Gaza and those who face criminal charges. In some high-profile cases, such as that involving Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, the Trump administration has cited involvement in pro-Palestinian activism as a rationale for deportation. But colleges say most students affected by visa revocations played no role in those protests. Many are being singled out over minor infractions such as traffic violations that occurred long ago, and in some cases the reason is unclear, colleges say. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2025 08:35 AM IST | Washington | AP
‘Biological activity on exoplanet may change our perspective’
Evidence of biological activity outside the solar system can potentially change the way the night sky is fundamentally perceived, from seeing it as a physical, inanimate sky to thinking of it as a “living sky”, astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan has said. A professor of astrophysics and exoplanetary science at the University of Cambridge, Madhusudhan is the lead researcher on a study that has found fingerprints of dimethyl sulphide and dimethyl disulphide molecules on an exoplanet—K2-18 b—about 120 light years from Earth. The molecules, known to be produced on Earth by marine organisms, are considered predictors of life or habitability on exoplanets. The results of the study are the strongest signs yet of life outside the solar system. Nikku Madhusudhan, astrophysicist “It is entirely possible that if we spend a few more observations, then, in a few years, we may be able to increase the significance substantially and very confidently detect these molecules,” Madhusudhan said. Born in India in 1980, Madhusudhan graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, with a degree in engineering. He went on to pursue a masters in engineering in 2004 and a PhD in physics in 2009 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US. He held postdoctoral positions at multiple institutes, including MIT, before joining the University of Cambridge as faculty in 2013. Over the past decade, he has made influential contributions to exoplanetary science, especially on the atmospheres of “Hycean worlds”—a type of exoplanet entirely covered by an ocean beneath hydrogen-rich air. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
19 April,2025 08:33 AM IST | Cambridge | Agencies