WORLD

April 20, 2022, 3:25 pm Islamabad, April 20 : Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will hold his maiden meeting with President Alvi Alvi on Wednesday, The News reported. The meeting will be held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr at 2pm PKT. During the meeting, matters relating to the appointment of new governors in all the four provinces and the crisis that has …

April 20, 2022, 5:24 pm Kyiv, April 20 ( /Xinhua) Ukraine and Russia have reached a preliminary agreement on establishing a humanitarian corridor to evacuate women, children and the elderly from the embattled city of Mariupol, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Wednesday. Mariupol’s residents will be evacuated to Ukraine’s southern city of Zaporizhzhia through the Berdyansk town, …

April 20, 2022, 4:39 pm London, April 20 ( /Sputnik) WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said on Wednesday that a UK court’s signed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s death sentence after it ordered his extradition to the ted States. Earlier in the day, the UK’s Westminster Magistrate’s Court ordered Assange’s extradition to the US where he is facing a possible sentence of …

April 20, 2022, 4:48 pm London, April 20 ( /Sputnik) British High Commissioner in Pakistan Christian Turner and newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed issues of shared interest and agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, economy and education during a bilateral meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday. “British High Commissioner Christian Turner on Wednesday met Prime Minister of Pakistan …

April 20, 2022, 12:00 pm Beijing, April 20 ( /Sputnik) US electric carmaker Tesla has resumed production at its plant in China’s Shanghai after the local authorities had issued a guideline on relaunching business operation following a massive COVID-19 outbreak in the city, a senior plant official said on Wednesday. “We will ramp up the output over the next three …

April 20, 2022, 2:07 pm Islamabad, April 20 : The Registrar Office of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday cancelled the cause list for a division bench that was supposed to take up a plea filed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2019 seeking the removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL) following a court …

April 20, 2022, 2:41 pm Kyiv, April 20 : Russia poured more troops into Ukrainian cities and towns in what is being described as an attempt to slice the country in two in a potentially pivotal battle for control of the eastern industrial heartland of coal mines and factories. Khaleej Times reported. The fighting unfolded along hundreds of miles in …

April 20, 2022, 1:07 pm Islamabad, April 20 : A “technical” legal condition in the resignation of former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar, has opened up another chapter of constitutional crisis in Pakistan, Express Tribune reported on Wednesday. Governor Punjab Omer Cheema questioned whether Buzdar’s resignation could be accepted under the law and sought legal opinion from the advocate general …

April 20, 2022, 12:52 pm Ankara, April 20 ( /Sputnik) An explosion occurred on a bus in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bursa, one person was killed and several injured, media reported on Wednesday. The explosion hit a bus carrying prison guards at around 07:30 local time (04:30 GMT), according to the Hürriyet newspaper. The cause is yet to be established. …

April 20, 2022, 12:46 pm Islamabad, April 20 : Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan will address the nation live on social media on Wednesday, Express Tribune reported. PTI’s official social media team has been instructed to make preparations for the party chairman’s address. Earlier, party leaders held a meeting of the political committee in which the overall political situation …

April 20, 2022, 9:20 am Colombo, April 20 : The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said discussions with Sri Lanka on a potential IMF loan program are at an early stage and any deal would require “adequate assurances” from the country that its’s debts can be put on a sustainable path, Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday. The IMFs Sri Lanka …

April 20, 2022, 9:42 am Islamabad, April 20 : Pakistan’s new 33-member federal cabinet was sworn in on Tuesday under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, but the composition has left the allies unhappy, Dawn reported on Wednesday. While some have hailed the cabinet as the “best possible” in terms of the selection of its members that include two PhDs on finance …

April 20, 2022, 10:36 am Islamabad, April 20 : Pakistan’s newly appointed Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has announced the disbanding of Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA), Dawn reported on Wednesday. She made this announcement soon after taking oath as the information minister, where she said no “black” law would be enacted or worked upon that would restrict the people’s constitutional …

April 20, 2022, 8:59 am New Delhi/Washington, April 20 : Attending the G20 Emerging Market Economies (EMEs) meeting organised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said there is an urgent need for coordinated action across countries to not only enable swift post-pandemic recovery but also to build resilience to future shocks. The …

April 20, 2022, 6:52 am Moscow, April 20 ( /Sputnik) A senior leader of the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP, banned in Russia) was killed in an airstrike launched by African allies at jihadist targets in the Chad Basin, Nigerian news website Leadership said, citing a military source. Ammar Bin-Umar was killed in a coordinated security operation conducted …

April 20, 2022, 6:54 am New York, April 20 ( /Sputnik) Billionaire businessman Elon Musk is looking to invest up to $15 billion of his money to delist Twitter from the New York Stock Exchange and take it private to pursue his aim of making the social media giant a model of free speech, the New York Post reported, citing …

April 20, 2022, 6:15 am Washington, April 20 ( /Sputnik) The undocking of the Axiom-1 first all-private manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed, the Axiom Space company said in a statement. “Due to unfavorable weather conditions, we are waving off tonight’s undocking of the AX1 mission from [International] Space Station,” the statement said on Tuesday. …

April 20, 2022, 7:05 am Seoul, April 20 ( /Xinhua) South Korea recorded 111,319 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Tuesday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 16,583,220, the health authorities said Wednesday. The daily caseload was slightly down from 118,504 recorded in the previous day and far lower than 195,393 a week earlier, …

April 20, 2022, 6:57 am Abuja, April 20 ( /Sputnik) A military aircraft of the Nigerian air force crashed in Nigeria’s northern state of Kaduna, local media reported. A Pakistani-made training aircraft Super Mushak was on a training mission with military personnel on board, Vanguard newspaper said, citing sources. At least two pilots died after the plane crashed, according to …

April 19, 2022, 10:17 pm New Delhi, April 19 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said collaboration between India and Bangladesh during the Covid-19 pandemic has been a “role model of good neighborhood diplomacy”, as she extended her wishes for the new WHO center for traditional medicines being established in Gujarat. In a video message, the Bangladesh PM …

April 19, 2022, 10:45 pm London, April 19 : UK PM Boris Johnson on Tuesday apologised for breaking the Covid-19 restrictions imposed by himself and claimed that he did not know that the 2020 birthday gathering was an illegal party. Speaking to the lawmakers for the first time since he was fined last week for attending a birthday party thrown …

April 19, 2022, 8:27 pm Islamabad, April 19 : Pakistan’s newly elected Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday disbanded the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) that was set during Imran Khan’s tenure. She said, “An attempt was being made to gag an already muzzled media. But now, whatever shape and form PMDA is working in, we have announced to disband …

April 19, 2022, 12:15 pm Kabul, April 19 : At least six people were killed and dozens were injured as a result of two explosions on the territory of schools in western Kabul, a local source said on Tuesday. The first blast occurred on the territory of the Mumtaz school in western Kabul. According to an eyewitness, several people were …

April 19, 2022, 2:14 pm Colombo, April 19 ( /Xinhua) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended the steps already taken by Sri Lanka to stabilize its economy, the Finance Ministry said here in a press release on Tuesday. The Ministry said Finance Minister Ali Sabry met IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Monday at the IMF headquarters. The IMF …

April 19, 2022, 12:54 pm Dhaka, April 19 : College students and traders in the New Market area in the Bangladeshi capital have clashed again, leading to a blockade of the area on Tuesday by a mass of students. The violence erupted one day earlier after a tiff over bargaining. As a result of the fresh troubles, all the shops …

April 19, 2022, 2:07 pm Dhaka, April 19 : At least 40 people, including five journalists, were injured in clashes between traders and Dhaka College students in the New Market area of the Bangladeshi capital, forcing a Minister to allege on Tuesday that some people were attempting to fan communal fires in the country. Several journalists were allegedly beaten up …

April 19, 2022, 10:14 am Islamabad, April 19 : The Pakistan government claims to have addressed “reservations” of the allies in the ruling coalition regarding the ministries being allocated in the new ministry, Dawn reported on Tuesday. This they said has paved the way for the first phase of the long-awaited induction of a 34-member cabinet. Meanwhile, the oath-taking ceremony …

April 19, 2022, 10:46 am Washington, April 19 ( /Sputnik) US management consulting company McKinsey said it suspended all client service in Russia. “All client service in Russia has ended as of 15 April 2022,” the company said in a statement. Earlier, the firm said it would not undertake any new client work in Russia. /SPUTNIK GNK

April 19, 2022, 11:02 am Kiev, April 19 : Russia has launched a full-scale ground offensive to take control of Ukraine’s east, with explosions reported all along the front lines , Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday. According to Ukrain’s President Volodymyr Zelensky the “Battle for Donbas” began on Monday, which involved a “very large part of the entire Russian army …

April 19, 2022, 12:35 pm Islamabad, April 19 : The Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed a petition which sought to stop the issuing of a diplomatic passport to PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Geo News reported on Tuesday. While deposing the petition IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah stated that the petition was based on unreliable material and …

April 19, 2022, 11:56 am Islamabad, April 19 : The ruling Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) announced that it has decided to move the Lahore High Court against Punjab Governor Omer Sarfaraz Cheema’s refusal to administer oath to the newly elected Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, The News reported Tuesday. The decision was made at the party’s core committee meeting where …

April 19, 2022, 12:58 pm Islamabad, April 19 : After much anticipation and delays, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s new cabinet was sworn in at an oath-taking ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Tuesday, Geo News reported. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjarani administered the oath to the members of the federal cabinet, instead of President Arif Alvi after he excused himself from performing …

April 19, 2022, 1:13 pm Kabul, April 19 : A boys’ school in the western Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood was hit by at least 3 explosions, Al Jazeera reported. The neighbourhood where the explosion took place is home to a large number of Shia Hazara comm ty, an ethnic and religious minority frequently targeted by ISIL (ISIS) groups in the past. …

April 19, 2022, 9:23 am Kherson, April 19 ( /Sputnik) After the discovery of a cache with weapons and explosives at a Kherson military plant, Russian servicemen are conducting raids in the city and its surrounding region to identify sabotage groups left by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) during its flight from the city, a Russian security source told …

April 19, 2022, 8:59 am Manila, April 19 ( /Xinhua) An offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 jolted Davao Oriental province in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. The institute said the quake, which occurred at 9:23 am local time, hit at a depth of 49 kilometers, about 54 kilometers southeast …

April 19, 2022, 6:27 am ted Nations, April 19 ( /Sputnik) UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of meetings on the situation in Ukraine scheduled to take place in Turkey later this week, Griffiths said. “I regret to say that I tested positive for COVID today. I am following health guidance, canceled travel, …

April 18, 2022, 7:48 pm Islamabad, April 18 : Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Monday excused himself from administering oath to the federal cabinet members, thus, postponing the ceremony. According to Geo News, the federal cabinet was scheduled to take oath on Mondaybut the President refused to administer oaths. The oath-taking ceremony will take place either on Tuesday or Wednesday …

April 19, 2022, 6:54 am Washington, April 19 ( /Sputnik) US Vice President Kamala Harris announced the decision to ban US anti-satellite weapons tests. Harris made the announcement during a visit to Vandenberg Space Force Base in the state of California. “I am pleased to announce that as of today, the ted States commits not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite …

April 18, 2022, 9:54 pm Islamabad, April 18 : Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday awarded death penalty to six accused for their involvement in the brutal killing of Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara. According to Geo News, a total of 89 men have been indicted in the murder case, of which nine are minors. The court has awarded …

April 19, 2022, 6:02 am Moscow, April 19 ( /Sputnik) The Google search engine has not made changes to its Google Maps service to reveal Russia’s military and strategic facilities, the company told Sputnik. On Monday, the Daily Storm reported that Google Maps declassified Russian military and strategic facilities, while similar information about other countries was still hidden. “We have …

April 19, 2022, 8:03 am New Delhi, April 19 : On action-packed visit to the US, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday met her Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry on the sidelines of IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington D.C. and discussed current economic situation and its approach towards addressing the prevailing challenges. Sitharaman assured Sri Lanka that as a …

April 18, 2022, 10:27 pm Kolkata, April 18 : Iterating that New Delhi would do whatever it can to help economic crisis-hit Sri Lanka, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday said it was in India’s interest that peace, stability and prosperity remain in the island nation. “Peace, stability and prosperity of Sri Lanka are in our direct interest, and …

April 18, 2022, 9:32 am Sana’a, April 18 ( /Sputnik) Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi stepped down under pressure from Saudi Arabia and is now under de-facto house arrest, The Wall Street Journal reports. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud allegedly handed a written order to Hadi during talks in Riyadh, which set out provisions for the delegation …

April 18, 2022, 9:32 am Moscow, April 18 ( /Sputnik) The Russian forces have eliminated more than 470 Ukrainian drones since the start of the military operation in Ukraine, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. “In total, since the beginning of the military operation, the following have been destroyed: 136 aircraft, 471 unmanned aerial vehicles, 249 anti-aircraft missile systems, …

April 18, 2022, 9:32 am Los Angeles, April 17 ( /Xinhua) Warner Bros Pictures’ fantasy film “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” took the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with an estimated 43 million US dollars debut, according to studio figures released by measurement firm Comscore on Sunday. The opening weekend sales in North America …

April 18, 2022, 9:32 am Seoul, April 18 : South Korea witnessed a 10-week low in new cases of coronavirus on Monday as number of Omicron cases receded amid the administration’s move to lift most pandaemic-related restrictions. The country added 47,743 new Covid-19 infections, including 14 cases from overseas, as its total caseload stood at 16,353,495, the Korea Disease Control …

April 18, 2022, 9:32 am Brasília, April 18 ( /Sputnik) The Brazilian government is lifting the public health emergency announced in the country at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, about two years ago, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said. “Today, with the strengthening of the SUS, the largest vaccination campaign in our history, and with the improvement of the epidemiological …

April 18, 2022, 1:07 pm Colombo, April 18 ( /Xinhua) Seventeen new Ministers were sworn in in the Sri Lankan cabinet on Monday as the nation continued to battle severe political instability and economic crisis. The new cabinet was sworn in after days of discussions with political parties as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had wanted younger parliamentarians from the ruling party …

April 18, 2022, 10:47 am Agartala, April 18 : Tripura Tourism Development Corporation hosted an interface meeting of tour operators of Bangladesh and other states of Northeast, West Bengal and Delhi on Monday here to finalise the strategies to boost tourism business in the region. The tourism officials said as many as 25 major tourism entrepreneurs from different parts of …

April 18, 2022, 12:21 pm Islamabad, April 18 ( /Xinhua) The Pakistani government has granted India’s request to extend the time period for overland transportation of humanitarian assistance from New Delhi to Afghanistan. The time period expired on March 21 this year. “As a manifestation of our sincere efforts towards addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, it has been decided …