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Noor Jehan, an elephant in Pakistan's Karachi Zoo whose illness revived criticisms of the nation's zoos, died on Saturday despite frantic efforts to treat her, officials said.

The critically ill 17-year-old elephant had fallen into a pond this month and been unable to get up without help.

"After fighting for 9 days, she succumbed to her critical condition. She spent too long lying on the ground – a life-threatening situation for elephants," Four Paws, an international animal welfare organisation that had been advising local and international veterinarians on her treatment, said in a statement.

Four Paws veterinarian Amir Khalil said it was "heartbreaking that she had to die at only 17 years old, when she could have had many more years". Noor Jehan was an African elephant, whose average lifespan is 60 to 70 years.

In recent years two lions died of asphyxiation in Pakistan after handlers tried to get them out of their den using smoke, and a number of white tiger cubs have died.

The director of the Karachi Zoo was removed this month over complaints of negligence. A court in 2020 ordered the closure of the Islamabad Zoo, where the elephant Kaavan was kept.

The American celebrity Cher, after years of seeking to free Kaavan, came to Pakistan to see him off on his move to a Cambodian sanctuary.

Khalil said Karachi Zoo did not meet international standards and urged that Madhubala, the healthy elephant remaining at the zoo, be relocated to a more species-appropriate place to give her a chance at a better life.

Four Paws said Madhubala was mourning the loss of her longtime companion.

The widespread criticism faced by authorities in the wake of Noor Jehan's condition - with images of her helplessly lying on her side - has led to reports in the local media that Karachi Zoo may be shut down permanently.

Four Paws said it welcomed this proposal, adding that it could be a turning point for the welfare of wild animals in captivity in Pakistan. (Reuters)

Azerbaijan said on Sunday it had established a checkpoint on the only land route to the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a step that was followed by claims of border shootings by both Azeri and Armenian forces.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but its 120,000 inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Armenians and it broke away from Baku in a war in the early 1990s.

Azerbaijan said it had established a checkpoint on the road leading to Karabakh, a step it said was essential due to what it cast as Armenia's use of the road to transport weapons.

Azerbaijan "took appropriate measures to establish control at the starting point of the road," the foreign ministry said.

"Providing border security, as well as ensuring safe traffic on the road, is the prerogative of the government of Azerbaijan, and an essential prerequisite for national security, state sovereignty and the rule of law."

Armenia said the checkpoint at the Hakari bridge in the Lachin corridor was a gross violation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement which ended a 2020 war. It called on Russia to implement the agreement which states that the Lachin corridor, the only road across Azerbaijan that links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, must be under Russian peacekeepers' control.

"We call on the Russian Federation to ultimately implement the trilateral statement," Armenia's foreign ministry said of the agreement that was brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The U.S. government said it was "deeply concerned" by Azerbaijan establishing the checkpoint on the only land route to the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, saying it undermines efforts toward peace in the region.

The U.S. State Department also said there should be free and open movement of people and commerce on the Lachin corridor, and urged both sides to resume peace talks.

Pictures of the bridge posted on social media by Azeri officials showed one side of it blocked by vehicles and soldiers.

Armenia's defence ministry said a soldier named Artyom Poghosyan was killed at around 0750 GMT when Azeri forces opened fire on an Armenian position in Sotk, an Armenian village east of Lake Sevan. Azerbaijan denied it killed the soldier.

Azerbaijan then claimed that Armenian soldiers fired on Azeri units at around 1110 GMT in the Lachin district, a claim Armenia denied.

In 2020, Azerbaijan retook territory in and around the enclave after a second war that ended in a Russian-brokered ceasefire upheld by Russian peacekeepers.

Azeri civilians identifying themselves as environmental activists have been facing off since Dec. 12 with Russian peacekeepers on the Lachin corridor.

Armenia says the protesters are government-backed agitators who are effectively blockading Karabakh. Azerbaijan denies blockading the road, saying that some convoys and aid are allowed through.

In recent months Armenia has repeatedly called on Moscow to do more to support the peace and ensure unfettered access between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh through the Lachin Corridor. (Reuters)

Candidates of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling party were projected to win four of five parliamentary seats up for grabs on Sunday, domestic media said, in what is likely to be seen as a sign of growing support for the premier.

The closely watched contests came eight days after Kishida escaped an apparent attack during an outdoor speech for one of the races, an incident that revived memories of the assassination of former premier Shinzo Abe at an election campaign event in July.

Nobuchiyo Kishi, the eldest son of former defence minister Nobuo Kishi, was projected to win a seat for the lower house of Japan's parliament in southwestern Yamaguchi prefecture, public broadcaster NHK and other media outlets reported.

Also in Yamaguchi, another candidate of Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party was projected to win a lower house seat in the district that used to be held by Abe, the reports said.

There has been speculation that Kishida, who is hosting a Group of Seven leaders summit in his hometown of Hiroshima next month, could look to capitalise on a recent recovery in the support ratings for his cabinet by calling a snap election.

Ruling party candidates were also forecast to win a seat for the lower house in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, and one for the upper house in Oita prefecture on the southwestern island of Kyushu, NHK said.

In western Wakayama prefecture where the apparent attack against Kishida took place, a candidate of the conservative Japan Innovation Party was projected to win the remaining lower house seat up for grabs, according to the broadcaster. (Reuters)

Jakarta (voinews): Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has  visited Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, to check the readiness of this super-priority tourist destination for hosting the 2023 ASEAN Summit on 9-11 May 2023.

"Checking the final of the ASEAN Summit again,"  President Director of the Labuan Bajo Flores Authority Agency (BPOLBF) Shana Fatina said in Labuan Bajo on Sunday.

President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo arrived in Labuan Bajo on Saturday evening (22/4). The presidential plane landed at the Komodo Airport at 6:30 p.m. local time.

In a video conversation with Vice President Ma'ruf Amin which was broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube, Jokowi said he would visit Labuan Bajo to check its readiness for holding the ASEAN Summit.

ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo is scheduled to be attended by the regional grouping's leaders and other delegations.

A total of 1,156 rooms from 22 hotels and resorts in Labuan Bajo have been prepared for accommodating the delegates and national organizing committee members. (Antaranews)