South China Sea issue: Philippines, US to start two-week joint military drills
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:47 pm
Manila: The Philippine armed forces will hold joint exercises with hundreds of US soldiers over the next two weeks amid a conflict with China over the South China Sea issue, media reports said.
Victims of ‘forced confessions’ ask Western powers to ban Chinese TV channels
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:40 pm
Thirteen people who describe themselves as “victims of forced confessions broadcast on Chinese television” have asked European satellite operator Eutelsat to reconsider carrying channels like CGTN and CCTV4, media reports said.
Hong Kong activist gets new jail term for illegal assembly, breaking anti-mask law
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:36 pm
Hong Kong/Sputnik: Joshua Wong, a prominent activist from Hong Kong, was sentenced to serve four more months in prison on Tuesday for joining an unsanctioned protest and violating the anti-mask law in 2019, local media reported.
Beijing attempting to frame innocent Hong Kong activist: Report
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:35 pm
Hong Kong: Anti-slavery activist Luke de Pulford has said the Chinese government is trying to “make an example” of imprisoned Hong Kong activist Andy Li after he was arrested trying to flee to Taiwan.
COVID-19: Anthony Blinken slams China over lack of 'transparency'
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:31 pm
Washington: A top US leader once again slammed China for showing lack of transparency in sharing information during the earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pakistan seeking investment through economic diplomacy: Qureshi
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:29 pm
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said Islamabad is inviting the world's attention towards investment opportunities in Pakistan through economic diplomacy, Radio Pakistan reported.
G20: Pakistan hopes to get $1bn debt relief
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:24 pm
Islamabad: COVID-19 hit Pakistan is expecting to get around $1 billion relief from G-20, media reports said.
Austrian Health Minister Anschober announces resignation over health issues
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:20 pm
Vienna/Sputnik: Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober announced on Tuesday his intention to step down from the ministerial post due to health problems and exhaustion from combating the coronavirus pandemic.
Tech War: US intensifies pressure on China with proposed new policy
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:20 pm
Beijing: The US Senate’s new legislation, the Strategic Competition Act of 2021, lays out a wide-ranging strategy for the first time to contain China's attempt to expand globally, media reports said.
US climate envoy John Kerry to visit China soon
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:14 pm
Washington: Special U.S. envoy on climate John F. Kerry might travel to China next week amid rising tension between the two nations, media reports said.
Clashes in Pakistan leave several Sikh pilgrims stranded in Lahore
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:13 pm
Islamabad: Several Sikh pilgrims, who were headed for Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Pakistan on the occasion of Baisakhi, are stranded en route, media reports said on Tuesday.
Pakistan reports 118 COVID-19 deaths in past 24 hours
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:09 pm
Islamabad: Pakistan reported 118 deaths related to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, marking the highest-single-day hike in the fatality numbers this year, media reports said on Tuesday.
UK puts Pakistan to a list of high-risk states
Apr 13, 2021, at 11:03 pm
Islamabad: The British government has put Pakistan in the list of undesirable 21 high-risk countries with unsatisfactory money laundering and terrorist financing controls, media reports said.
Several Pakistan cities witness massive protests over detention of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan chief
Apr 13, 2021, at 10:18 pm
Islamabad: Several cities in Pakistan witnessed protests over the detention of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Hussain Rizvi on Monday.
Canadian Intelligence alleges China, Russia of 'Cold War' level of espionage, foreign interference
Apr 13, 2021, at 10:06 pm
Ottawa/UNI: A fresh report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) pointed to an unprecedented surge in espionage activities, especially by Russia and China, toward the North American country, similar to that during the Cold War era.
Overseas cyberattacks paralyses internet in China’s Hunan province
Apr 13, 2021, at 10:02 pm
Beijing/UNI: Internet service providers in China's southern Hunan province believe that cyberattacks from overseas were behind the mass outage of local internet services.
Pakistan-Italy bridge inaugurated in Chitral
Apr 13, 2021, at 09:34 pm
A suspension bridge, funded by an Italian aid agency, in Khairabad village of Chitral district in Pakistan, was inaugurated on Monday, reported The Tribune Express. The bridge will benefit the rural communities in the area that often face connectivity issues during heavy rainfall.
Taliban yet not ready to attend Turkey Conference on 16 April
Apr 13, 2021, at 09:29 pm
The Afghan insurgent group, the Taliban, has expressed its inability to attend the Turkey Conference--aimed at fast-tracking the Afghan peace process-- on 16 April in Istanbul, Turkey, saying the group is yet to finalize its internal consultations on the agenda shared by the United States.
COVID complicates efforts to shut down drug traffickers, boost development
Apr 13, 2021, at 04:45 pm
New York: The growing complexities of the world drug problem are hampering efforts to achieve sustainable development by the end of the decade: a situation which the COVID-19 pandemic has only compounded, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said on Monday.
‘Reasonable grounds’ to believe Syrian military helicopter deployed chemical weapon: OPCW
Apr 13, 2021, at 04:37 pm
New York: A report released on Monday by the body dedicated to freeing the world of chemical weapons, concludes that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that a Syrian military helicopter carried out a chemical attack on the town of Saraqib, in 2018.
UK armed forces bill would limit war crimes accountability: UN rights chief
Apr 13, 2021, at 04:24 pm
New York: Legislation under consideration in the UK regarding armed forces personnel could limit accountability for war crimes if it is passed in its current form, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday.
Guterres calls for ‘paradigm shift’ to recover from COVID setbacks
Apr 13, 2021, at 04:09 pm
New York: A “paradigm shift” aligning the private sector with the global goals is needed to address the challenges of the future, including those triggered by COVID-19, the UN chief said on Monday, addressing the Financing for Development (FfD) Forum.
Myanmar violence ‘must cease immediately’: UN agencies
Apr 13, 2021, at 04:03 pm
New York: The UN Country Team in Myanmar on Monday, reiterated its call for an end to violence against civilians, amid reports of dozens of deaths in the latest crackdown on protests against the military takeover.
Air Canada, Ottawa strike $4.68bln financial aid deal
Apr 13, 2021, at 02:43 pm
Toronto/Sputnik: Air Canada and the federal government have struck a deal that will see the country’s flag carrier be given access of up to $4.68 billion in liquidity through a federal COVID-19 stimulus program for large businesses, the airliner said.
Canada: Ontario sees second-highest Covid single-day spike with 4,401 new infections
Apr 13, 2021, at 04:03 am
Ontario/IBNS: Ontario has been hit hard by 4,401 fresh cases of Covid-19, the second-highest single-day spike in the province despite public health units having logged a 9.5 per cent test positivity rate, one of the highest in the Canadian district.
Indian investment falls, Chinese investment rises, in Nepal
Apr 13, 2021, at 01:28 am
Foreign direct investment (FDI) from India in Nepal declined by around 81 percent in the first nine months of the current fiscal year in comparison to the same period in the last fiscal, reported the Kathmandu Post. Overall FDI in the Himalayan nation has also slumped by 12.68 percent.
Bangladesh cancels passenger flights from April 14 for a week
Apr 13, 2021, at 01:22 am
Authorities in Bangladesh have imposed a ban on all passenger flights, both international and domestic, from 14 April for a week period during which the country is set to enter into a strict week-long lockdown.
Pakistan: Balochistan teachers boycott matriculation examination, want demands to be accepted
Apr 13, 2021, at 01:06 am
Quetta: A large number of teachers protested in Pakistan on Friday and even boycotted the matriculation exams to press for their demands, media reports said.
Chinese CDC director refutes reportedly claiming Chinese vaccines have low protection rate
Apr 13, 2021, at 01:03 am
Moscow/Sputnik: The director of the Chinese Centre of Disease Control (China CDC) Gao Fu told the Global Times he had been misinterpreted by some media, which claimed he admitted that Chinese COVID-19 vaccines had low protection rates.
Twenty-one miners trapped underground in China's Xinjiang after mine floods: Reports
Apr 12, 2021, at 11:22 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: A flood at a coal mine in China’s Xinjiang region has trapped 21 miners at the depth of about 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles) underground, media reported.