Shanghai rolls out guideline for tourist attractions to control epidemic

Feb 21, 2020, at 04:32 pm

Shanghai/Xinhua/UNI: Shanghai on Friday rolled out a guideline for the municipality's A-grade tourist attractions to combat the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Iran to hold parliamentary elections on Friday

Feb 21, 2020, at 04:30 pm

Tehran/Sputnik/UNI: The elections to Iran's 290-seat unicameral parliament will be held across the country on February 21.

Trump slams academy for awarding 'Parasite' as best picture over trade row with SKorea

Feb 21, 2020, at 04:29 pm

Washington/Sputnik/UNI: US President Donald Trump criticized the decision of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to award South Korea’s “Parasite” as the best picture over trade differences with South Korea.

Australia issues 42 arrest warrants for nationals in Syria suspected of IS links

Feb 21, 2020, at 04:25 pm

Canberra,/UNI: Australian Federal Police has obtained 42 arrest warrants for its citizens accused of supporting the Islamic State in Syria, including women from the Al-Hawl camp, The Guardian newspaper reported on Friday.

South Korea registers first Coronavirus death

Feb 20, 2020, at 08:25 pm

Seoul/UNI: South Korea confirmed the country's first fatality from the new Coronavirus on Thursday, while the total number of people infected by the deadly disease, recently named Covid-19, rose to 104.

Southern Philippine grenade blast kills 2 children

Feb 20, 2020, at 07:27 pm

Manila/Xinhua: A rifle grenade exploded inside a house in Dipolog City in the southern Philippines on Thursday, killing two boys aged eight and five, a military general said.

Suspected perpetrator of Hanau attack in Germany found dead at home, 1 more body discovered

Feb 20, 2020, at 10:31 am

Moscow, Feb 20 (Sputnik) A suspected perpetrator of the shooting attacks in the German town of Hanau was found dead at his home on Thursday, the police of southeastern Hessen said.

China's doping control officers need to go through strict medical check before work

Feb 19, 2020, at 06:46 pm

Beijing/Xinhua:The doping control officers (DCOs) must pass virus test and relative medical check before they are allowed to carry out doping tests amid a nationwide fight against the new coronavirus, China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) said here on Wednesday.

Amid tight security, Pakistan court sends Hindu girl Mahek Kumari to production home

Feb 19, 2020, at 11:38 am

Jacobabad/IBNS: Amid protests by Hindu community members over the kidnap, conversion, and marriage of minor Hindu girl Mehak Kumari in Pakistan and a verdict awaited by a court, certain sections of people forced locals of Jacobabad city in Sindh province of the country to close shops on Tuesday to influence the decision in the case.

Chinese military hackers steal Equifax data of 13 million Britons

Feb 18, 2020, at 08:35 pm

Beijing/IBNS: In a “criminal heist” spanning the globe, Chinese military hackers allegedly stole personal information of more than 13 million Britons, media reports said on Tuesday.

Leaked Chinese document on Uyghur Muslims show people detained for veil, beard or clicking on foreign website

Feb 18, 2020, at 08:31 pm

Beijing/IBNS: A leaked Chinese government document has shown how issues, like growing a beard, wearing a veil or accidentally visiting a foreign website, were among the justifications shown to send  Uyghur Muslims to China’s detention camps in Xinjiang province.

Canada grants 1.39 lakh Study Permit to Indians in 2019

Feb 18, 2020, at 07:43 pm

Ottawa/IBNS: Canada's Immigration Agency has granted 1.39 lakh Study Permit to the Indian students in 2019 to pursue higher degrees, media reports said.

Global terror financing watchdog  FATF decides to retain Pakistan in ‘Grey List’

Feb 18, 2020, at 06:28 pm

Paris/Islamabad/IBNS/UNI: In a setback for Pakistan, global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Tuesday decided to retain the south Asian nation in its ‘Grey List’.

Thai economy to surge over 3 pct next year: central bank

Feb 18, 2020, at 05:13 pm

Banghok/Xinhua/UNI:  The Bank of Thailand (BOT) on Tuesday said that despite the slowing global economy, drought and delay of the fiscal 2020 budget, a gradual recovery will come at the second and third quarter this year.

Afghanistan: Militants kill judge

Feb 18, 2020, at 05:11 pm

Afghanistan/Xinhua/UNI:  Taliban militants has killed a primary court judge in Afghanistan's western Herat province, a local official said Tuesday.

Syrian army completely secures Aleppo city from rebels' shelling

Feb 18, 2020, at 05:10 pm

Damascus/Xinhua/UNI: The Syrian government forces on Monday said that Syria's northern city Aleppo has been finally made safe from shelling after a wide-scale military operation, saying that dozens of villages and towns returned under government control as a result of the current military operation..

Police arrest 6 drug traffickers in Afghanistan: gov't

Feb 18, 2020, at 05:07 pm

Kabul/Xinhua/UNI: The Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) have arrested six narcotic drug traffickers in five provinces, the country's Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

South Korea sends presidential jet to return 4 citizens aboard virus-stricken liner: reports

Feb 18, 2020, at 05:06 pm

Seoul/Sputnik/UNI:  South Korea has sent a presidential plane to Japan to evacuate four of its citizens from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise liner, media reported on Tuesday.

Car explosion on highway in western Colombia kills 7, injures 11: Local Army Chief

Feb 18, 2020, at 05:01 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: At least seven people have died, and 11 others were injured as a result of a car explosion in western Colombia, Major General Jorge Isaacs Hoyos Rojas, a local army commander, said on Tuesday.

China's airlines cancel 78,000 flights, return 13 million tickets amid COVID-19 outbreak

Feb 18, 2020, at 04:59 pm

Beijing/Sputnik/UNI: China's numerous airlines have canceled some 78,000 flights and returned about 13 million tickets due to the deadly coronavirus outbreak, deputy head of the country's state property control and management committee, Ren Hongbin, said on Tuesday.

Pakistan: Eight killed, over 100 affected in Karachi toxic gas leak

Feb 18, 2020, at 04:56 pm

Karachi/UNI: Eight people have been killed and over 100 affected after a toxic gas suspected to be Hydrogen Sulphide leaked in here, Pakistan health authorities has confirmed.

Pakistan observers sniff eyewash on Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed ahead of FATF ruling

Feb 18, 2020, at 02:00 pm

Islamabad/IBNS: In what can be seen as a golden eyewash at a time when the threat of being blacklisted by international terror financing and money laundering watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) looms large over it, Pakistan last week convicted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, who was arrested last year, in two terror financing cases. However, the reality inside Pakistan can be different with strong beliefs by observers that Pakistan is stage-managing the episode and even claiming that another top terrorist, Masood Azhar, the mastermind of the Pulwama attack last year February in India killing 40 soldiers, has gone missing. 

Norway charges 2019 mosque shooter with terrorism, murder

Feb 18, 2020, at 10:43 am

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: Norwegian prosecutors on Monday pressed terrorism and murder charges against Philip Manshaus, who attacked a mosque and killed his step-sister last August.

Iraq: Education access still a challenge in former ISIL-controlled areas

Feb 18, 2020, at 10:21 am

New York/IBNS: More than two years after the defeat of ISIL in Iraq, some children in areas formerly controlled by the terrorist group still cannot access school or get the necessary documentation required for enrollment, a UN report published on Monday finds.

As north-west Syria violence reaches ‘horrifying’ new level, UN relief chief says ceasefire is only option

Feb 18, 2020, at 10:19 am

New York/IBNS: The crisis in north-west Syria has reached a “horrifying new level”, the UN Humanitarian Affairs chief warned on Monday.

World must ‘step up’, match Pakistan’s compassion for refugees, says UN chief

Feb 18, 2020, at 10:17 am

New York/IBNS: Pakistan’s solidarity and compassion for hosting Afghan refugees is a remarkable blueprint that the rest of the world should follow.

Amid global ‘learning crisis’, Parliaments can ensure adequate resources for education, says UN Assembly President

Feb 18, 2020, at 10:07 am

New York/IBNS: Education is the “great equalizer” and Parliaments have a major role to play in scaling up action to ensure that adequate financial resources are allocated to education, girls’ education and technical and vocational training throughout in national budgetary processes, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Monday.

European council president highlights role of EU-US alliance in conversation with Pelosi

Feb 17, 2020, at 07:58 pm

Brussels/Sputnik: European Council President Charles Michel on Monday stressed the importance of the transatlantic alliance between the European Union and the United States, as well as shared EU-US values with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Three killed, 15 injured in blast in Pakistan

Feb 17, 2020, at 07:32 pm

Islamabad/Xinhua: A blast hit a busy road in Pakistan's southwest provincial capital Quetta on Monday evening, leaving three people dead and 15 others injured, local media and rescue officials said.

US-Taliban peace deal finalised:Abdullah

Feb 17, 2020, at 07:24 pm

Kabul,/UNI: Chief Executive of the Afghan Unity Government Abdullah Abdullah on Monday claimed that the peace agreement between the Taliban and US has been "finalised."