Bhutto’s daughter takes oath as Pak MP
Islamabad, April 15: Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the youngest daughter of slain former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto, on Monday formally launched her political career after taking oath as a Member of Parliament. She was elected unopposed as a member of the National Assembly last month from NA-207 Shaheed Benazirabad (formerly Nawabshah) area of her native Sindh province. The seat was vacated by her father Asif Ali Zardari after he was elected as the President. Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq administered the oath of office to Aseefa, 31, amidst applause from her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers. In a related development, her victory was challenged in the Sindh High Court by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed independent candidate Ghulam Mustafa Rind who named the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Aseefa as respondents. (PTI)
Criminal probe into Baltimore bridge collapse
Baltimore, April 15: The FBI is conducting a criminal investigation into the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge that is focused on the circumstances leading up to it and whether all federal laws were followed, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. The FBI was present aboard the cargo ship Dali conducting court authorized law enforcement activity, the agency said in a statement Monday. The investigation was first reported by the Washington Post. (AP)
Attackers kill 11 in eastern Congo
Kinshasa, April 15: Extremist-linked rebels attacked villages in eastern Congo over the weekend, killing at least 11 people, torching vehicles and taking possessions, a local official said. The attacks occurred Saturday and were reported by the local mayor on Sunday. Allied Democratic Forces rebels with ties to the Islamic State group have long operated in the border area near Uganda. The United Nations said earlier this month that almost 200 people have been killed there this year. In one area, 11 bodies were recovered from four different places in the commune of Mulekera, according to the mayor, Ngongo Mayanga. Mulekera is near Beni town in North Kivu province. (AP)
Iran Prez to visit Pakistan on April 22
Islamabad, April 15: Amidst spiralling tensions in the Middle East, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is set to visit Pakistan on April 22 and hold meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and the military leadership, according to a media report on Monday. The 63-year-old leader’s expected visit will take place days after Tehran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel in retaliation to an alleged Israeli airstrike on its Damascus consulate in Syria that killed several people, including two senior commanders of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Geo News reported. (PTI)