UNHCR urges greater protection for Sahel communities after deadly attack
Apr 02, 2021, at 09:39 pm
New York: Ten days after armed groups carried out a deadly attack on three villages near the western Niger town of Tillia, UN humanitarians have repeated their call for greater protection of civilians and all those displaced by violence in the Sahel.
Many countries spending more on debt than education, health and social protection combined
Apr 02, 2021, at 09:31 pm
New York: Around one in eight nations spends more on debt than on social services, according to a new report from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched on Thursday, calling for debt service relief and restructuring to enable countries to bounce back from the pandemic.
UN to provide $107 million to Sri Lanka to support agriculture
Apr 02, 2021, at 09:15 pm
Sri Lanka will receive $107 million from a UN agency to support its agriculture sector. The fund will provide modern technology, equipment, and advanced training to the farmers of the island nation, according to a report in Colombopage.
Bangladesh government to disburse $53 million ahead of Eid
Apr 02, 2021, at 07:57 pm
Around 10 million households in Bangladesh will receive $5 dollars from the Bangladesh government in direct cash transfer ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, reported Dhaka Tribune. The program is launched to help the vulnerable group on the occasion of the birth centenary of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujirbur Rahman.
Pakistan’s Sindh province bans gatherings amid rising Covid-19 cases
Apr 02, 2021, at 07:16 pm
As Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Pakistan, Sindh province banned all social gatherings, both indoor and outdoor, and ordered public and private offices in the province to operate with 50 percent staff strength, reported the Express Tribune.
Boycotting Xinjiang cotton is now a human rights issue: Taiwanese legislative speaker
Apr 02, 2021, at 05:46 pm
Taipei: Taiwanese Legislative Speaker You Si-kun has said boycotting cotton from China’s Uyghur region of Xinjiang is no longer just a political issue now but it has turned to a human rights factor.
USCIRF condemns Chinese sanctions on Chair Gayle Manchin and Vice Chair Tony Perkins
Apr 02, 2021, at 05:39 pm
Washington: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has strongly condemned the Chinese government’s sanctions on USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Vice Chair Tony Perkins, imposed in an apparent retaliation for U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials and for USCIRF’s consistent criticism of the Chinese Communist Party government’s atrocities against Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang.
Senkaku Islands: Two Chinese ships enter Japan's territorial waters
Apr 02, 2021, at 05:23 pm
Two Chinese government vessels on Monday entered Japan's territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, triggering yet another point of conflict between the two nations, media reports said.
Chinese vessels crowd disputed Whitsun Reef, US backs Philippines
Apr 02, 2021, at 05:16 pm
The Philippines’ air force has been conducting daily aerial patrols over Chinese fishing vessels which have been spotted near the disputed Whitsun Reef, media reports said.
Xinjiang conflict: China trying to promote Mandarin language
Apr 02, 2021, at 04:58 pm
Beijing: Chinese authorities are trying to promote Mandarin-language education and to sinicise Islam in Xinjiang region of the country, media reports said.
Xinjiang connection: Finnish wood pulp giant Stora Enso decides to leave viscose market
Apr 02, 2021, at 04:51 pm
Helsinki: Finnish forestry products company Stora Enso has said it will “divest” from making the raw ingredient needed to produce wood-based viscose rayon fibre after a link between the company and Xinjiang region of China was unveiled, media reports said.
Afghanistan: Herat blast leaves 2 dead
Apr 02, 2021, at 02:30 pm
Herat: At least two security forces members died when a blast hit Herat’s Rabat-e-Sangi highway in Afghanistan on Thursday, media reports said.
Canada: Hit hard by 3rd wave of Covid-19, Ontario to impose lockdown restrictions across province
Apr 02, 2021, at 04:29 am
Ontario/IBNS: Plans for imposing lockdown on the whole province beginning Saturday would be announced due to record-breaking COVID-19 patients in its intensive care units (ICU) on Wednesday and the highest number of new infections in schools since the start of the pandemic, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said during a news conference.
South Asia to grow by 7.2 percent: World Bank
Apr 01, 2021, at 09:48 pm
The economy of the South Asian region is expected to grow by 7.2 percent in 2021 and 4.4 percent in 2022, the World Bank said in a report, adding the countries in the region are recovering but it remains “fragile.” Significantly, the World Bank revised its growth upward for Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan given the good remittance flow in these countries. The GDP of Bangladesh is likely to increase by 3.6 percent in the year 2021-22, it says. India, on the other hand, is expected to grow by 10.1 percent, Nepal 2.7 percent, Pakistan 1.3 percent. However, Bhutan is projected to record a negative growth rate of 1.3 in 21-22.
Apr 01, 2021, at 08:11 pm
Dhaka, April 1: Hefazat militants set fire to the central public library in Bangladesh's Brahmanbaria district, the birthplace of legendary Indian sarod player and multi-instrumentalist Alauddin Khan, during a nationwide strike on Sunday.
Former Ukrainian Minister accused of running global smuggling racket in Africa & S Asia
Apr 01, 2021, at 06:48 pm
Kiev: Oleksandr Onyshchenko, once an Assistant Minister in Ukraine, is today a fugitive charged with gold smuggling in various parts of the world including Africa and South Asia.
Ontario reports highest COVID-19 ICU admissions since start of pandemic
Apr 01, 2021, at 03:56 am
Ontario/IBNS: Ontario is reporting the highest number of COVID-19 patients admission to its intensive care units (ICU) ever since the beginning of the pandemic, said a government agency on Tuesday that tracks hospitalizations.
Pakistan resumes trade with India; permits sugar imports
Apr 01, 2021, at 12:34 am
In what comes as the first step towards the revival of trade relations between Pakistan and India, authorities in Pakistan on Tuesday allowed the import of white sugar from India. The move is being seen as part of slow but crucial steps the two countries are taking for easing tensions.
Russia, Pakistan have developed strategic trust, claims Pakistan envoy
Apr 01, 2021, at 12:20 am
Pakistan and Russia have gradually built “strategic trust” and have developed institutional mechanisms to enhance their bilateral coordination and cooperation, said Shafqat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation, reported Dawn.
India, Pakistan at Afghan peace conference in Dushanbe
Apr 01, 2021, at 12:15 am
India has been supportive of all diplomatic efforts being made to accelerate dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban, including the intra-Afghan talks, said Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Pakistan registers 4,757 new cases of COVID-19
Mar 31, 2021, at 10:49 pm
Islamabad/UNI: Pakistan on Wednesday reported 4,757 fresh cases of novel coronavirus during the past 24 hours, pushing the country caseload to 6,03,126.
Pakistani celebrities take part in ‘tuk tuk' march to highlight issues of people with disabilities
Mar 31, 2021, at 10:44 pm
A host of Pakistani celebrities, including actress Mahira Khan, former cricket team captain Wasim Akram, actor-producer Humayun Saeed, and actor-model Feroze Khan, participated in the ‘Tuk Tuk March’ to highlight the issues of people with disabilities and to encourage them to pursue their rights to work and mobility.
Family of slain Pakistani immigrant raises $800,000 in US
Mar 31, 2021, at 10:32 pm
The family of a Pakistani immigrant, who was killed in a carjacking incident in the US last week, raised around $800,000 in the US, reported Dawn. The family, however, had just sought $100,000.
‘Desire peaceful, cooperative relations’: Pakistan PM Imran Khan writes to Indian PM Modi
Mar 31, 2021, at 09:20 pm
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the people of Pakistan also “desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbors, including India”.
Grave concern for women and children targeted in northern Mozambique
Mar 31, 2021, at 05:33 pm
New York: Disturbing reports of targeted attacks against civilians have continued to emerge from the northern Mozambique town of Palma, marking a serious escalation of violence and volatility in the Cabo Delgado region.
World leaders call for new international treaty to improve pandemic response
Mar 31, 2021, at 05:26 pm
New York: A group of world leaders have joined the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in calling for an international treaty to improve pandemic preparedness and response in the wake of COVID-19, for the sake of future generations.
Teacher's protest: Balochistan government imposes section 144 in Quetta amid rising COVID-19 cases
Mar 31, 2021, at 04:26 pm
Quetta: The Balochistan government recently imposed Section 144 in Quetta district to ban all public gatherings by keeping in mind the rising COVID-19 cases, amid a protest sit-in call given by the teachers’ association against the government’s failure to announce any increase in their salaries, media reports said.
US leaving Afghanistan by May 1 deadline ‘dangerous’ - House Armed Services Chair
Mar 31, 2021, at 02:29 pm
Washington/Sputnik: Trying to keep former President Donald Trump's May 1 deadline for a total US military withdrawal from Afghanistan is unrealistic and dangerous, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith said at virtual panel discussion.
China praises work of WHO experts who prepared report on COVID origin after visit to Wuhan
Mar 31, 2021, at 02:14 pm
Beijing/Sputnik: China highly appreciates the professionalism and scientific approach of the World Health Organization (WHO) experts who contributed to the publication of the report after a visit to China's Wuhan to study the origin of COVID-19, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Putin says Russia's COVID-19 situation is much better than in other countries
Mar 31, 2021, at 01:58 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: The coronavirus dynamics in Russia is much better than in other countries, which encourages domestic tourism, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.