The Northern Herald

  • Sri Lanka asks Chinese ship to leave Hambantota port after radioactive material found on it

    Apr 21, 2021

    Colombo: Sri Lanka has asked a Chinese ship to leave the southern port of Hambantota after it was found to be carrying radioactive material, officials said. Anil Ranjith, the top official of the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Authority (SLAEA), said that the ship was on its way to China from the port of Rotterdam when it developed technical difficulties and entered the Hambantota Port.

  • Pak PM Imran Khan wishes former PM Manmohan Singh speedy recovery from COVID-19

    Apr 21, 2021

    Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan wished a speedy recovery to former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh who tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Singh, 88, was admitted to the AIIMS trauma centre in Delhi, which is a dedicated COVID facility, with a mild fever on Monday.

  • Sikh community and lawmakers seek investigation into Indianapolis shooting as potential hate crime

    Apr 18, 2021

    Washington: Influential American lawmakers and Sikh community leaders have sought a thorough investigation into the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in the US state of Indiana as a potential hate crime that killed eight people, including four Sikhs. Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi called for investigation of potential anti-Sikh motivations in the incident that took place late Thursday night.

  • 'Enough is enough', says relative of elderly Sikh woman killed in Indianapolis mass shooting

    Apr 17, 2021

    Washington, Apr 17: The grieving families of the Indian-Americans working at a FedEx facility in the US state of Indiana expressed their anger, fear, and anxiety as they received the news of a mass shooting that killed eight people, including four Sikhs. Brandon Scott Hole, 19, and a former employee at the facility in Indianapolis carried out the mass shooting on late Thursday before allegedly committing suicide.

  • Pak asks India to appoint lawyer to represent Kulbhushan Jadhav

    Apr 17, 2021

    Islamabad, Apr 16: Pakistan on Friday again urged India to appoint a lawyer to represent death row convict Kulbhushan Jadhav to implement the verdict of the International Court of Justice. The Islamabad High Court (IHC), while hearing the case on Thursday, asked the Foreign Office (FO) to approach India about appointing a counsel and clarifying the issue of jurisdiction of the case being heard by the court.

  • France urges its nationals in Pak to leave country after violent protests by radical religious group

    Apr 16, 2021

    Islamabad, Apr 15: The French embassy here on Thursday advised all French nationals in Pakistan to temporarily leave the country after violent protests by a radical religious group that has now been banned by the government. The Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) took to streets on Monday to launch violent protests to force the government to expel the French ambassador over blasphemous caricatures published last year.

  • France aims at having 20,000 Indian students by 2025

    Apr 13, 2021

    New Delhi: French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the country has set a target of having 20,000 Indian students in France by 2025. There were 10,000 Indian students studying in the European nation in 2019, according to officials at the French Embassy. "We have set a target -- it is to have 20,000 Indian students in France by 2025, and we will make it.

  • Two Christian nurses booked under blasphemy charges in Pakistan

    Apr 10, 2021

    Lahore, Apr 10: Two Christian nurses have been booked under blasphemy charges in Pakistan's Punjab province following a complaint by hospital authorities, police said, as people staged demonstrations against the duo demanding strict action against them.

  • Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov calls on Pakistan PM Khan

    Apr 07, 2021

    Islamabad, Apr 7: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday called on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who expressed satisfaction at the steady growth in bilateral ties in diverse fields with Moscow. Lavrov, the first Russian foreign minister to visit Pakistan since 2012, discussed bilateral relations and issues of regional and global importance during his meeting with Khan.

  • US says continues to support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan

    Apr 07, 2021

    Washington, Apr 7: The United States on Tuesday said that it encourages India and Pakistan to have a direct dialogue between them on issues of concern. However, the State Department refrained from commenting on the recent decision of the Pakistani Cabinet not to import sugar and cotton from India. "I wouldn't want to comment on that specifically," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference.

  • Bangladesh imposes 7-day nationwide lockdown amidst spike in COVID-19 cases

    Apr 05, 2021

    Dhaka, Apr 5: Bangladesh on Monday clamped a week-long nationwide lockdown, suspending public transport and shutting markets to combat the surge in coronavirus cases in the country, amidst demonstrations by small business owners against the move. According to a government circular issued on Sunday, the directives will remain in effect from 6am of April 5 till 12 midnight of April 11, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

  • Pakistan never shied away from ''meaningfu'' talks with India: FO

    Apr 03, 2021

    Islamabad: Pakistan said that it never shied away from "meaningful" talks with India but normalization of ties was linked with India revisiting its 2019 decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri was asked about the Cabinet's decision to not allow the import of cotton and sugar after it was approved by a high-level body.

  • Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine protects younger teens

    Mar 31, 2021

    Washington: Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall. Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Pfizer's vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and older.

  • Pakistan to import sugar, cotton from India: Finance Minister Hammad Azhar

    Mar 31, 2021

    Islamabad, Mar 31: Pakistan will buy sugar and cotton from India, newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar announced on Wednesday, lifting a ban on their import from the neighbouring country imposed in the wake of heightened tension over Kashmir in 2019. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), which was chaired by Finance Minister Azhar.

  • Imran writes to PM Modi; says creation of 'enabling environment' imperative for dialogue

    Mar 31, 2021

    Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan has written a letter to his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, saying the creation of an "enabling environment" is imperative for a constructive and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues between Pakistan and India, in particular, the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Khan's letter was in reply to Prime Minister Modi's letter to him last week to extend greetings on the occasion of Pakistan Day.

  • India has several human rights issues, says US report

    Mar 31, 2021

    Washington: India has several significant human rights issues, including unlawful and arbitrary killings, restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, corruption, and tolerance of violations of religious freedom, a US report said. In its 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices' to the US Congress, the Department of State noted the improvement in the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

  • China sharply reduces elected seats in Hong Kong legislature

    Mar 30, 2021

    Beijing, Mar 30: China has sharply reduced the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong's legislature in a setback for the territory's already beleaguered democracy movement. The changes were announced Tuesday after a two-day meeting of China's top legislature. In the new make-up, the legislature will be expanded to 90 seats, and only 20 will be elected by the public.

  • China 'pleased' over Pakistan's 'positive interactions' with India: FM spokesman

    Mar 30, 2021

    Beijing: China said that it was "pleased over Pakistan's "positive interactions" with India and it will work with Islamabad to "inject" positive energy into regional peace, stability, and development. The militaries of India and Pakistan announced on February 25 that they have agreed to strictly observe all agreements on a ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and other sectors.

  • Pak foreign minister Qureshi to attend 'Heart of Asia' conference in Tajikistan

    Mar 29, 2021

    Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will lead a delegation to the 'Heart of Asia' conference scheduled to take place on Tuesday at Tajikistan capital Dushanbe, the Foreign Office announced On the sidelines of the 9th Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) ministerial conference, Qureshi will hold "consultations with key regional and international partners," it said.

  • Meeting with Jaishankar not 'finalised or requested': Pak FM Qureshi

    Mar 29, 2021

    Islamabad, Mar 29: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said no meeting has been "finalized or requested" so far with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the 'Heart of Asia' conference on Tuesday at Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe, according to a media report on Monday.

  • Pak PM Imran Khan greets Hindus on Holi

    Mar 28, 2021

    Islamabad, Mar 28: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday greeted the Hindu community on the occasion of Holi. The festival is being celebrated in Pakistan on Sunday and Monday. "Wishing all our Hindu community a very happy Holi, the festival of colors," the prime minister tweeted.

  • 2 tugboats speed to Egypt's Suez Canal as shippers avoid it

    Mar 28, 2021

    Suez (Egypt), Mar 28: Two additional tugboats sped Sunday to Egypt's Suez Canal to aid efforts to free a skyscraper-sized container ship wedged for days across the crucial waterway, even as major shippers increasingly divert their boats out of fear the vessel may take even longer to free.

  • Suicide bomber targets Mass in Indonesia, 14 wounded

    Mar 28, 2021

    Makassar (Indonesia), Mar 28: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a packed Roman Catholic cathedral on Indonesia's Sulawesi island during a Palm Sunday Mass, wounding at least nine people, police said. A cellular video obtained by The Associated Press showed body parts scattered near a burning motorbike at the gates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province.

  • Pak PM Imran Khan faces flak for holding in-person meeting despite being infected with coronavirus

    Mar 26, 2021

    Islamabad, Mar 26: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has come under severe criticism from both the opposition and the public for holding an in-person meeting with his media team despite being infected with the novel coronavirus, according to a media report on Friday. Khan, 68, tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday last, just a couple of days after receiving an anti-COVID vaccine.

  • China attacks foreign clothing, shoe brands over Xinjiang

    Mar 25, 2021

    Beijing: China's ruling Communist Party is lashing out at H&M and other clothing and footwear brands as it retaliates for Western sanctions imposed on Chinese officials accused of human rights abuses in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. The attacks began when the party's Youth League called attention on its social media account to an H&M statement in March 2020 that it would stop buying cotton grown in Xinjiang.

  • Indian national sentenced to 2 years for deleting company's 1,200 user accounts in US

    Mar 24, 2021

    Washington, Mar 24: An Indian national has been sentenced by a US court in California to two years in prison, who after being fired by his company accessed its server and deleted over 1,200 Microsoft user accounts, according to a statement. Deepanshu Kher was arrested when he flew from India to the United States on January 11, 2021, unaware of the outstanding warrant for his arrest.

  • 3 Russian military pilots killed by faulty ejection seats

    Mar 23, 2021

    Moscow, Mar 23: Three members of a Russian warplane crew died on Tuesday when their ejection seats accidentally activated during preflight checks, the military said. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the incident happened Tuesday at a military airbase in the Kaluga region, about 145 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Moscow.

  • India, Pak should resolve issues through dialogue for durable peace: senior Pak diplomat

    Mar 23, 2021

    New Delhi, Mar 23: India and Pakistan should resolve all bilateral issues, especially that of Jammu and Kashmir, through dialogue for durable peace and stability in the region, a senior Pakistani diplomat said here on Tuesday. In a statement to reporters on the sidelines of Pakistan Day celebrations at the Pakistan High Commission here, Aftab Hasan Khan, Charges D'Affaires of the mission, said, "On this occasion, I would...

  • Sri Lanka signs 3-year USD 1.5 billion currency swap deal with China

    Mar 23, 2021

    Colombo, Mar 23: Sri Lanka has signed a 10 billion yuan (about USD 1,5 billion) currency swap deal with China for a three-year period to be used for promoting bilateral trade and direct investment between the two countries, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has announced. The deal was signed between the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and the People's Bank of China (PBoC), the CBSL statement said on Monday.

  • Israeli election seen as referendum on divisive Netanyahu

    Mar 22, 2021

    Jerusalem, Mar 22: Israelis vote Tuesday in their fourth parliamentary election in just two years. Once again, the race boils down to a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu, who has served as prime minister for the past 12 years, hopes voters will reward him for leading the country's successful coronavirus vaccine rollout and his diplomatic outreach to the Arab world.

  • Pakistan connects its first 1,100MW nuclear power plant to national grid

    Mar 19, 2021

    Islamabad, Mar 19: Pakistan has connected its first Chinese-assisted 1,100MW nuclear power plant in Karachi to the national grid that will help improve the country's economy by providing cost-effective and reliable electricity. The newly-built 1,100MW Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2) was linked with the national grid on Thursday night.

  • India, Bangladesh likely to sign three MoUs during PM Modi's visit

    Mar 16, 2021

    Dhaka, Mar 16: India and Bangladesh are likely to sign three MoUs during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka next week to attend the celebrations of the golden jubilee of the country's independence and the birth centenary of its founder Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

  • Pakistan: Hindu community pardons mob accused of vandalising temple

    Mar 14, 2021

    Peshawar, Mar 14: The Hindu community in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to pardon the mob that vandalized and burned down a century-old temple in the province. The local clerics and members of the Hindu community held a meeting on Saturday to resolve the dispute. As per the dialogue, informally called 'jigra', the accused have tendered an apology over the attack and a similar incident in 1997.

  • Former Jamaat-e-Islami leader arrested in Sri Lanka for promoting Islamic extremism

    Mar 13, 2021

    Colombo, Mar 13: A 60-year-old former leader of Islamic organization Jamaat-e-Islami has been arrested in Sri Lanka for allegedly promoting extremism in the country, police announced on Saturday. Rasheed Hajjul Akbar, who headed the Jamaat-e-Islami organization for 24 years until last September 2019, was arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) from the Dematagoda area on Friday, Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said.

  • China hits back at US criticism of Hong Kong election change

    Mar 12, 2021

    Beijing, Mar 12: A Chinese official hit back Friday at U.S. criticism of planned election law changes in Hong Kong, noting the chaos surrounding the recent American presidential election. Semi-autonomous Hong Kong is an internal Chinese issue that no foreign country has the right to interfere in, said Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council.

  • Pakistan ready to host SAARC summit: FO

    Mar 12, 2021

    Islamabad, Mar 11: Pakistan said on Thursday that it was ready to host the long delayed summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which is an important organisation for regional cooperation. "Pakistan is committed to its process and to hold the SAARC summit...

  • China tells Biden to reverse 'dangerous practice' on Taiwan

    Mar 07, 2021

    Beijing: China's foreign minister warned the Biden administration to roll back former President Donald Trump's "dangerous practice" of showing support for Taiwan, the island democracy Beijing claims as its own territory. The Chinese claim to Taiwan, which split with the mainland in 1949, is an "insurmountable red line," Wang Yi said at a news conference during the annual meeting of China's ceremonial legislature.

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