China launches Pak satellite
Beijing, April 26: China launched a Pakistani satellite from its Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China’s Shanxi Province on Saturday night. The satellite named PRSC-EO3 was lifted off at 8:15 p.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-6 carrier rocket and successfully entered its planned orbit, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported. This is the fourth Pakistani satellite launched by China since last year. China launched three Pakistani satellites last year. (PTI)
Former Israeli PMs agree to merge parties against Netanyahu
Jerusalem, April 26: Two Israeli political heavyweights on Sunday said they would join forces in upcoming elections in a shared effort to unseat longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid served as prime ministers in a rotation agreement as part of a coalition government they formed in 2021. They now plan to merge their parties into single faction headed by Bennett. “The move is intended to unite the bloc, put an end to internal divisions and focus all efforts on winning the critical upcoming elections,” Lapid’s Yesh Atid party said in a statement. Their alliance is aimed at uniting a fragmented opposition that appears to have little in common beyond their shared hostility toward Netanyahu. (AP)
Car bomb explodes outside Northern Ireland PS
London, April 26: Police in Northern Ireland have condemned a car-bomb attack on a police station as an attempt to undermine the 1998 agreement that brought peace to the region. The bomb, fashioned from a compressed gas cylinder, exploded as police were evacuating nearby residents in Dunmurry, on the outskirts of Belfast, on Saturday night, Deputy Chief Constable told. “This clearly demonstrates that what this type of device may have lacked in terms of its sophistication and scale, it more than made up for in its reckless unpredictability.” (AP)
22 people dressed as monks arrested at SL airport
Colombo, April 26: A group of 22 people dressed as monks has been arrested for allegedly carrying Kush and Hashish narcotics at the Bandaranaike International Airport here upon arrival from Thailand, Sri Lankan police said. The Narcotics Bureau said the haul worth 1.1 billion Sri Lankan rupees was the largest drug seizure at the airport. The 22 individuals were arrested on Saturday for allegedly carrying 120 kg of Kush and Hashish narcotics on false bottomed suitcases, police said. They had left for Thailand on April 22. (PTI)
Pak Prez visits SANY Heavy Industry unit in China
Beijing, April 26: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, currently on a visit to China, took a tour of SANY Heavy Industry Co Ltd in Changsha, Hunan province, on Sunday. He was briefed by Chairman of Sany Group Tang Xiuguo, on the company’s advanced manufacturing systems, product lines and ongoing investments in research and development, Pakistan’s news agency reported. (PTI)
