ISLAMABAD: Doctors in Pakistan are flabbergasted with the case of two brothers who have come to be known as 'Solar Kids'. Abdul Rasheed and Shoaib Ahmed, aged nine, and 13, the kids are normal active children during the day, but lapse into a vegetative state once the sun goes down- unable to move or talk. Doctors have ruled out the theory that their bodies are totally reliant on sunlight, as they can move as normal in a dark room during the day. Javed Akram, a professor of medicine at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, said, “We took this case as a challenge. Our doctors are doing medical tests to determine why these kids remain active in the day but cannot open their eyes, why they cannot talk or eat when the sun goes down.” The brothers are undergoing extensive medical testing in the capital, Islamabad, and samples of their blood have been sent to overseas specialists for further examination.
JuD won't let Hindu shrines be razed in Pak: Saeed
ISLAMABAD: Chief of Pakistan's banned JuD, Hafiz Saeed said his organisation won't allow destruction of Hindu temples and other holy places of non-Muslims in the country. While addressing a meeting in Matli, Sindh, he said it was Muslim's responsibility to safeguard holy places of their Hindu brethren. “We will not allow destruction of temples and other holy places of non-Muslims in the country,” he said. Saeed rejected allegations that his organisation is promoting extremism in Thar area of Sindh by opening seminaries in the region. He also pledged support for Kashmiri Muslims, and said that the country's law enforcement agencies were sincerely trying to fight against anti-state actors and RAW agents.
Indian maid allegedly tortured to death in Saudi Arabia
HYderabad: A 25 year old Hyderabadi woman who went to Saudi Arabia to work as a 'house maid' was allegedly tortured to death. She succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment at the King Saud hospital for chest diseases in Saudi Arabia. Asima Khatoon's family was informed about her death by an unknown person who called her mother from Riyadh. The deceased used to tell them about the torture meted out on her by her employees. Asima was sent to Riyadh on a business visit visa for 90 days and was illegally kept in confinement. She had left from India in December, 2015, and was not in touch with her people, until two months ago where she called home and informed about the instances of torture by Abdul Rahman Ali Mohammed. She told her mother she was being harassed mentally and physically, and requested for arrangements for her return be made at any cost.
Taliban faction kills anti-militancy activist in Pak
KARACHI: Prominent Pakistani rights activist, Kurram Zaki, was shot dead in the southern city of Karachi at an outdoor cafe and his companion was wounded. A faction of the Pakistani Taliban, the Hakeemullah group has claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call, saying Zaki was targeted for his stance against radical cleric of Islamabad's Lal Masjid Abdul Aziz. “Zaki was sitting at a cafe where he was targeted by four armed men arriving on two motorcycles,” senior police official Muqadas Haider said. Zaki was known for his open stance against the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the Pakistani Taliban, and radical cleric Abdul Aziz. He had lead street protests against Aziz, in December 2015, demanding he be arrested and charged with hate speech for allegedly justifying attacks like the Peshawar school massacre.
Bangladesh Sufi Muslim hacked to death
DHAKA: A local Sufi Muslim leader was found hacked to death in Bangladesh in a suspected Islamist killing, just two weeks after the Islamic State group claimed the life of a liberal professor. Mohammad Shahidullah, 65, was missing until his body was found lying in a pool of blood in a mango grove in Rajshahi. District police chief Nisharul Arif said, “He was not a famous Sufi, but there could be a possibility that he was killed by Islamist militants.” Local police official Abdur Razzak said, “He was slaughtered from his neck and there were also some deep gashes in his throat.” Sufi Islam is a mystical form of Islam popular in rural Bangladesh, but it is considered deviant by many of the country's majority Sunni Muslims.
This kid has 15 fingers and 16 toes
HUNAN (CHINA): A three-month-old boy has been born with a rare birth defect in China; 15 fingers and 16 toes. Inheriting polydactylism, a defect that results in extra fingers from his mother, Hong Kong's deformity was not once revealed in the multiple ultrasounds during the woman's pregnancy. Parents of the young boy are desperately trying to find medical treatment and were told by doctors that the surgery could cost them close to 30,000 dollars. They were told that the baby can be operated on when he is between six months and a year old. The couple have reached out to local charities and the internet to raise funds for the surgery through online donations. Medical records suggest, the rare genetic disorder affects on in every 1000 live births and is often passed down in families.
US bans sale of e-cigarettes, cigars to those under 18
MIAMI: The US government has issued a sweeping ban on the sales of e-cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and hookahs, to those under the age of 18. In the first time for the federal regulation on the products, the ban will go into effect in 90 days as per the US Food and Drug Administration which has called the final rule “historic”. Key points of the rule include barring the sale of e-cigarettes to minors online or in person, prohibiting the distribution of free samples and not allowing vending machines, unless it's an adult-only facility. Manufacturers will be required to get marketing approval for any products that came on the market after February 15, 2007, to show their “products meet the applicable public health standard set forth in the law.”
Former Pak PM Gilani's son rescued from Taliban captors
ISLAMABAD: Son of former Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, has been rescued from a three-year long Taliban captivity in Afghanistan. A joint raid conducted by US and Afghan forces lead to Ali Haider Gilani, in Ghazni province. Arrangement for his transfer to Pakistan are under process, as per the Pakistani Foreign Office. Afghan National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar called Pak foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz to give him the news. Ali Gilani, believed to be in his 30s, was kidnapped in May 2013, days before the general elections. Former PM Raza Gilani was elated and addressed the media saying, “This is a very good day for me.” Current PM Nawaz Sharif issued a statement to express his happiness over the rescue.
