COLOMBO, 4 April, 2021 (TON): The Police say 13,320 motorcyclists have been charged in the three-day island wide operation carried out to reduce the number of accidents involving motorcycles.

DIG Ajith Rohana stated that 450 motorcycles unfit for use on the road have been seized during the operation carried out island wide during the past 72 hours.

Among the charged were, 398 drunken motorcyclists, 139 for driving recklessly, 108 speeding motorcyclists, 1997 motorcyclists without helmets, 1303 persons for riding without licenses, and 2806 for violating traffic laws and 6186 for various other offenses.

KABUL, 4 April 2021, (TON): The blast happened at around 8:40 am local time when an army vehicle was targeted by a roadside bomb blast in the Qaragha area of Paghman district, police said.

Police did not provide further details about the incident and no group has claimed responsibility for the blast.  

At least 307 Afghans were killed, and 350 others were wounded in a series of explosions and targeted attacks in March. There has been a 20 percent increase in the number of explosions and targeted attacks in the country in March compared to February. In February, the casualties were around 264 deaths and 278 injuries. 

NEW DEHLI, 4 April, 2021, (TON): The Jammu and Kashmir police have solved a grenade throwing case and arrested two terrorist associates of LeT, officials said on Saturday.

Police said on Dec 12, 2020 unknown terrorists hurled a hand grenade towards Police Post Bus Stand which missed the intended target and exploded outside gate of the police post, resulting in injuries to three civilians.

Accordingly a case was registered by the police and investigation was set into motion.

Police said during the course of investigation two suspects Mohd Asif Najar and Sahil Rashid Bhat resident of Green Town Sopore were apprehended."During questioning they confessed that they are working for LeT outfit as over ground workers and had thrown the Grenade on Police Post Bus Stand on the directions of LeT terrorists," police said.

"The duo also confessed that they were desirous to join the terrorist ranks but before that a hand Grenade was handed over to them with the directions to throw it on any security force/ Police establishments in Sopore area, which they finally threw on Police Post Bus Stand." Police said both have been formally arrested on April 1 in the instant case and are presently on Police remand.

Police said further investigations are on.              

BEIJING, 3 April, 2021 (TON): On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying urged the Biden administration to abide by one-China principle and halt all official exchanges with Taiwan.

The spokesman said, "We urge the United States to fully understand the highly sensitive nature of the Taiwan question and adhere to the one-China principle and three China-U.S. joint communiqués."

In response to the comments made by the U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price, Hua made the remarks.

Ned Price said that United States will continue to consider opportunities for visits to Washington and Taipei by senior-level authorities to advance their unofficial relationship.

Hua said in response, "We urge the U.S. side to stop the dangerous practice of challenging the bottom line and playing with fire as the previous administration did."

However, Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. ties, and the one-China principle is the political foundation of the China-U.S. relationship, that the officials view as a red line that should not be crossed.

BANGKOK, 3 April, 2021 (TON): On Saturday, Bangkok residence building collapsed killing at least three rescue workers and a resident.

The collapse trapped a handful of people under the debris, according to an emergency worker.

Around 6 in the morning, the three-storey house engulfed in flames and the fire raged for about an hour before it was put out.

Jiratthikorn Banjongkit, chief of rescue at the Poh Teck Tung Foundation said, “The cause of the collapse remains unknown. The fire could be the main reason for interiors of the residence building to collapse.”

However, the reports said that still there might be about five people still under the crumpled heap of concrete walls and wiring structure.

ADDU CITY, 3 April, 2021 (TON): On Saturday, work has been started on two projects by the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC).

The coastal protection project in Meedhoo district and the Maldives Inland Fisheries Company (MIFCO) harbor development project in Hulhumeedhoo district.

On Saturday morning, S. Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam, State Minister for Planning Shifaz Ali, MTCC’s CEO Adam Azim, Maldives Ports Limited (MPL)’s CEO Shahid Ali attended the commencement ceremony.

The project, contracted to MTCC by Planning Ministry, is valued at MVR 80.5 million.

The other project valued at MVR 80.68 million also marked the commencement of physical work on the first phase of the MIFCO harbor development project in Hulhumeedhoo on Saturday.

The ceremony was attended by Hulhudhoo MP Ilyas Labeeb, Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam, MIFCO’s Managing Director Ismail Fauzi, State Minister for Planning Shifaz Ali, MTCC’s CEO Adam Azim, Maldives Ports Limited (MPL)’s CEO Shahid Ali, Addu City Mayor, and other State officials.

NIAMEY, 3 April, 2021 (TON): On Friday, Niger's new president Mohamed Bazoum lashed out at the extremists who have carried out devastating attacks on his country.

He accused them of war crimes.

The inauguration marked the first-ever transition between elected presidents in Niger's six decades of independence from France, a historic moment that has been widely praised.

But the Sahel country's problems were deeply underscored in the run-up to Friday's ceremony, after a string of massacres and an alleged attempted coup just two days before the handover.

Niger is being hit by insurgents, crossing from Mali and Burkina Faso in the west, and by Boko Haram, crossing from Nigeria in the southeast, killing thousands of people and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

CAIRO, 3 April, 2021 (TON): According to the Suez Canal Authority, the last ships stranded by the grounding of a giant container vessel in the Suez Canal should pass through the waterway on Saturday.

Eighty-five ships were expected to pass the canal from both sides on Saturday, said Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).

They will include the last 61 ships out of the 422 that were queuing when the Ever Given container vessel was dislodged on Monday.

On Wednesday, the SCA began probe into what caused the container ship to run aground and block the waterway for six days.

However, the officials are hoping to complete the investigations within 2 days or so and will reveal the findings soon.

RIYADH, 3 April, 2021 (TON): After Maldives, Bulgaria now received 50 tons of dates as a gift from Saudi Arabia.

The dates were donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief).

Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Kalin Anastasov received the gift, which was delivered by Saudi Ambassador to Bulgaria Misfer bin Abdulrahman Al-Ghasib.

In an effort to provide humanitarian assistance to a number of friendly relations globally, the government of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave the gift within the relief and humanitarian projects.

KATHMANDU, 3 April, 2021 (TON): The Nepali opposition, Nepali Congress (NC) is seeking PM Oli’s resignation while deciding to initiate new government formation under NC’s leadership.

The decisions were taken at a Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of the NC.

NC spokesperson Bishaw Prakash Sharma said the part has decided to seek Oli's resignation as he has not taken any initiative of a way forward despite the House of Representatives, which dissolved in December 2020, being restored.

However, seemingly, the Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is in trouble inside his own party, Nepal Communist Party-UML as he was accused Nepal and other leaders for being involved in anti-party activities and violating rules and norms.