Death toll in Pakistan’s mosque blast rises to 36

At least 36 people were killed after an explosion ripped through a mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan's federal capital city of Islamabad, police and government officials said Saturday.

Local authorities fear the death toll from the attack, which occurred in the Shehzad Town area, may rise and have declared an emergency across the city's hospitals.

According to eyewitness accounts, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device after being stopped at the mosque entrance during Friday prayers.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that security forces had arrested four facilitators of the suicide attack, including the alleged main mastermind.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Naqvi said overnight intelligence-based coordinated operations led to the arrests.

Initial investigations indicate that the planning, training and indoctrination of the attacker were carried out in Afghanistan by the Islamic State, according to the interior minister, adding that further intelligence-based operations would continue.

Death toll in Pakistan’s mosque blast rises to 36

Death toll in Pakistan’s mosque blast rises to 36

China made public a work plan on Friday to further upgrade service consumption infrastructures and support housekeeping, elderly care and childcare sectors.

The document, jointly released by the Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments, outlined 64 measures to boost service consumption, including traditional sectors like catering and accommodation, tourism, as well as elderly care and childcare.

Emerging growth sectors, such as housekeeping, performance services and inbound consumption, are also covered.

These measures will create new consumption scenarios amid efforts to drive service consumption and meet people's growing needs for a better life, according to the ministry.

China unveils plan to further boost service consumption