Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee is dead

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pranab Mukherjee, a former Indian President, passed away at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi on August 31. He was 84. His health had deteriorated earlier in the day after suffering a septic shock due to his lung infection. 

He was admitted to the military hospital on August 10 and also tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the surgery. He later developed a lung infection 

He had himself tweeted having tested positive for COVID-19 and urged people who had come in contact with him in the previous week to isolate and get tested for the novel coronavirus. 

A powerful orator and scholar, Mukherjee was known to be a Congress stalwart before being elected as India's 13th President and serving from July 2012 to 2017 at the top post. 

“India grieves the passing away of Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation. A scholar par excellence, a towering statesman, he was admired across the political spectrum and by all sections of society,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh’s fatalities cross 2,400

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh' tally of ÇOVID-19 fatalities crossed 2400 on August 30 when it reported 80 new infections, with three new related deaths, during the last 24 hours across the province.

According to national COVID-19 dashboard, Sindh's total deaths came as 2401, while overall case tally for the province was 129,348 out which 122,939 recovered from the disease. 

The official report disclosed that Sindh in all tested 5,625 samples and found 80 new COVID-19 cases. 

On August 27, the number of new cases was 204, which decreased to 98, 89 and 80 on August 28, 29 and 30, respectively. 

LUMHS laboratory at Hyderabad handled 4,896 suspected samples, against its maximum capacity of testing 5000 samples per day, during the last 24 hours and found 46 positive cases, including 44 new infections. 

As many as 20 COVID-19 laboratories, out of 28 in the province, did not conduct any test during the last 24 hours ending on August 30.

The Karachi laboratories just examined 729 samples, including DUHS (11), CHK (44), AKUH (395), Dr Ziauddin Hospital (46), SIUT (41), JPMC (128) and PCMD-KU (64), and detected 49 positives, including 36 new cases.

As of August 30, the number of patients occupying the intensive care beds at different hospitals of Karachi remained 73, including 17 on ventilators.

The latest district wise overall number of COVID-19 cases came as: Karachi (91,569), Badin (1,104), Dadu (1,243), Ghotki (3,533), Hyderabad (4,893), Jacobabad (1,001), Jamshoro (1,473), Kambar Shahdakot (1,022), Kashmore (978), Khairpur (1,254), Naushero Feroze (993), Sanghar (1,440), Shaheed Benazirabad (1,927), Shikarpur (1,778), Sujawal (547), Sukkur (3,815), Tando Allahyar (808), Tando Mohammad Khan (580), Tharparkar (1191), Thatta (949) and Umerkot (748).

As many as 37 were cured, while 174 were in critical condition, as of August 30 while three people lost their lives to COVID-19 in Sindh on August 29, including two at Karachi and one at Sujawal, according to the official report.

Xinjiang officials refute allegations

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The authorities of Northwest China Xinjiang have refuted rumors and termed as lies conjured up by Adrian Zenz, a scholar from Germany on population and family planning issues in the province.

A spokesperson for the information department of Xinjiang, Ilijan Anagyit, addressing press conference on August 29, clarified that in a woman named Zamira Dawut had given birth to her third child at the Maternal and Child Care Centre in Urumqi in 2013 after having voluntarily signed the requisite documents to have cesarean section and tubal ligation. 

Meanwhile Tursunay Abdurahim, an officer of Xinjiang Static Branch, explained that between 2010 and 2018, contrary of the false claims, the permanent population of Xinjiang has increased by 13.99 percent to about 24.87 million with ethnic minority population up by 24.14 percent to 15.86 million.

In the same way the population of Uyghur ethnic group rose by 25.04 percent to nearly 12.72 million.

Primary schools across China reopen

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The primary schools across China, including in Beijing, have reopened after summer vacations on August 31. 

As it was raining on the first day of reopening after vacations in Beijing, teachers in one of the schools were holding colourful umbrellas so that pupils could not get wet from rain. It was a sign of mutual care and respect. 

The summer vacation in China generally starts around July 1 and ends around August 31 while the winter vacation usually take place in January or February depending on the date of the Spring Festival.