ISLAMABAD, 19 April, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, the Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari described the countries including Pakistan in the red list of travel ban countries and the compulsory quarantining in the UK as an inhumane move by the British government.

The Minister tweeted, “This is absolutely shameful. These people have paid 1,750 pounds per person to undergo 10 days of compulsory quarantine in the UK and are being treated in this inhumane manner simply because they happen to be of Pakistani origin.”

She said, this was a discriminatory approach towards Pakistani and British nationals of Pakistani origin.

She stated, “It is yet another reflection of putting Pakistan in the list of red zone countries but leaving out states like India, which has one of the fastest spirals of Covid cases plus a new lethal variant also.”

However, with these messages, she also uploaded a video made by Pakistanis quarantined in the UK showing the predicament of about 18 to 19 families.

These families complained that they were being denied food and their children having to eat cold food with cases of food poisoning. They also complained of having to fast without Sehri.

SEOUL, 19 April, 2021 (TON): Just few days earlier President Joe Biden’s virtual summit of world leaders to discuss the issue, the U.S. and China agreed to cooperate curb climate change with urgency.

According to a joint statement, the agreement was reached by U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua during two days of talks in Shanghai last week.

The statement said, “The two countries are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands."

On Sunday, in a meeting with the reporters in Seoul, Kerry said the language in the statement is strong and that the two countries agreed on "critical elements on where we have to go.

But the former secretary of state said, "I learned in diplomacy that you don't put your back on the words, you put on actions. We all need to see what happens."

Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, to the 22-23 April summit.

China is the world's biggest carbon emitter, followed by the United States. The two countries pump out nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the planet's atmosphere.

However, their cooperation is a key to success of global efforts to curb climate change, but frayed ties over human rights, trade and China's territorial claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea have been threatening to undermine such efforts.

KABUL, 19 April, 2021 (TON): Afghanistan has long been ready for the U.S. and NATO-led coalition forces' withdrawal, said the Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.

On Sunday, Ghani made the remarks during a security personnel medal-awarding ceremony.

He said, "After two years, we are fully prepared for the day and we have a comprehensive plan for their withdrawal."

350,000-member strong security forces were fully prepared to protect the country, President said.

However, Ghani also reiterated that the Afghan government is committed to the peace talks with the Taliban and that it is now up to the latter to act on it.

DAMASCUS, 19 April, 2021 (TON): In May, the Syrian presidential elections will be held in seven years after the last polls took place in the war-torn country, the country's Parliament announced.

The commencement of candidacy for elections will begin from Monday onwards, Speaker Hamoudeh Sabbagh said while addressing Parliament on Sunday.

The Speaker said, "I call upon Syrians to practice their right in choosing the President of the Syrian Arab Republic."

Sabbagh called on those who wish to run to submit their candidacy applications to the Supreme Constitutional Court within a period of 10 days which ends on April 28.

Meanwhile, the Speaker added that the Election Day for the Syrians abroad is set on 20 May, while for the citizens inside the country, it will be held on 26 May.

COLOMBO, 18 April, 2021 (TON): With an aim of increasing the forest density and forest cver in Sri Lanka, two million saplings were planted under the program themed "Surakumata Parisaraya" commenced at Ragama Diyagala Boys’ Town on 16 April with the presence of State Minister of Rural Roads and other Infrastructure, Nimal Lanza.

The program commenced at 6.40 am with the planting of saplings on a 6 acre land in the Boys’ Town area in Ragama in accordance with the auspicious time of tree planting for Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

However, making the "Vision of Prosperity" presented by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa a reality, the program was implemented by the Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando under the guidance of the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and on the instructions of the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation, Basil Rajapaksa.

COX’S BAZAR, 19 April, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, Myanmar centered earthquake sent tremors in the southern regions of Bangladesh including Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.

According to Zahirul Islam, an official at the Meteorological Department's earthquake observation centre, the earthquake was of 5 magnitude that struck at 7:24pm.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 414 km south-east of Dhaka, 274 km east of Chattogram and 258 km east of Cox's Bazar in Myanmar's Hakha region.

However, recently this month,  due to an earthquake in neighboring Bhutan on 5 April, tremors were felt in several parts of the country, including the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

NEW DELHI, 19 April, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, the Indian Congress allegedly said that the Narendra Modi government is surrendering India's strategic interests to China and woefully compromising national security.

The Congress remarked while citing reports that China has refused to pull back its troops from Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang Plains during the 9 April last round of Corps Commander-level talks.

Party General Secretary Ajay Maken asked in a statement, “How does the Modi Government plan to ensure the status quo ante as on April 2020? After the failure of the military talks with China and compromising our territorial integrity, what plan does the Modi Government have to take back our territory from China? PM Modi must answer."

He said the Prime Minister has "left the country vulnerable on yet another front by severely surrendering our interests on international borders".

Maken said that on 13 February “Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had told Parliament that the remaining friction points, including the strategic Depsang Plains, would be taken up for discussion in the next round of military talks, but now China has gone back on its assurances and reportedly asserted that 'India should be happy of what it has achieved'"

This is nothing, but an attack on India's territorial integrity, he said.

However, he cited the media reports that revealed that at Patrolling Point 15 and Patrolling Point-17A in Hot Springs and Gogra Post, the Chinese PLA is 'much inside the Indian territory.

KATHMANDU, 18 April 2021, (TON): According to the Nepal Trade and Export Promotion Centre, the country exported felt products worth Rs2.74 billion in the first eight months of the current fiscal year (mid-July to mid-March), a sharp rise of 61.97 percent as the export bill amounted to Rs1.69 billion in the same period last fiscal year 2019-20. The country exported felt products worth Rs2.15 billion in the last fiscal year.

Based on data for the last five years, the export of felt products have increased by 69.17 percent and traders are bullish on further growth.

Dharma Raj Shakya, former president of the Federation of Handicraft Associations of Nepal said “There is good demand for Nepali felt products through online shopping portals operating in the US and European market where customers can buy the goods at low prices and demand has not been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.” Nepali products are competitively reasonably priced compared to other countries.

JAKARTA, 18 April 2021 (TON): A spokesman for Thailand’s Foreign Ministry in Bangkok confirmed Saturday General Min Aung Hlaing has confirmed he will attend a summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) scheduled to be held on 24 April.

The 10-nation body ASEAN has fixed the proposed the date for a meeting at the group’s secretariat in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on 24 April. Indonesia has taken the lead in calling for the special meeting to discuss and resolve the crisis in Myanmar.

Meanwhile, Myanmar leadership on Saturday announced it pardoned and released 23,047 prisoners to mark the traditional Thingyan New Year holiday. The announcement also reduced sentences for others.

YANGON, 18 April 2021, (TON): Myanmar leadership on Saturday announced it pardoned and released 23,047 prisoners to mark the traditional Thingyan New Year holiday.

The releases were announced on state broadcaster MRTV, which said that General Min Aung Hlaing had pardoned 23,047 prisoners, including 137 foreigners who will be deported from Myanmar. The announcement also reduced sentences for others.

The move comes as good gesture on Thingyan New Year.

Detainees released Saturday from Yangon’s Insein Prison included at least three political prisoners who were jailed in 2019. Those released included members of the Peacock Generation performance troupe who made fun of military representatives in Parliament and military including actors wearing military uniforms during demoralizing and critical performances. Many were found guilty of online defamation for livestreaming objectionable performances. Ross Dunkley, linked with an Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald who was sentenced in 2019 to 13 years in a Myanmar prison for drug possession has also been released. Dunkley co-founded the The Myanmar Times.

Those freed were mostly young people detained on account of violent demonstrations.