MANGALURU, 14 April, 2021 (TON): A collision of an Indian fishing boat with the foreign ship caused the death of three crew members, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said on Tuesday.

The fishing boat capsized in the Arabian Sea near Mangaluru off Karnataka's west coast, ICG said.

ICG tweeted, "Three crew members died after the Indian fishing boat 'Rabah' collided with a Singapore container ship (Apl Le Havre) and sunk 43 nautical miles west of Mangaluru in the Arabian sea in the wee hours of the day." 

"Three vessels and a Dornier aircraft from Kochi in Kerala were rushed to the mishap spot for search and rescue operation," said the ICG.

Of the 14 crew members of the fishing boat, 2 were rescued and search was on to trace the remaining 9 members on the high sea.

According to the reports, the fishing boat with 14 crew members, including 7 each from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal ventured into the sea from Beypore in Kozhikode district in the neighboring southern state on Sunday.

KARACHI, 14 April, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, seven people were injured in a blast during a football match.

The blast occurred at a final of a football tournament at a a ground in Hub's Allahabad neighborhood, the police said.

Police said, the wounded were taken to Government Jam Ghulam Qadir Hospital,

It added, a bomb disposal squad had been called to the site and the area cordoned off.

However, the police confirmed that initial probe shows that a remote controlled device was used to detonate the explosive that was hidden where spectators were seated.

CAIRO, 14 April, 2021 (TON): Moscow will oppose any interference in Egypt’s historical water rights in the Nile, the visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

On Monday, in a meeting with the Egyptian leader Lavrov, the Russian official highlighted Russia’s firm position rejecting any interference in Egypt’s historical water rights in the Nile, and rejected unilateral actions in this regard.

He also voiced appreciation for Egypt’s efforts to resolve the issue.

Lavrov said that Russia is looking forward to reaching a solution for all parties, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, on the filling and operation of the dam through negotiations.

While, El-Sisi said the lack of resolution of this issue would affect the security and stability of the region.

El-Sisi also discussed the Egyptian efforts to support the new interim government in Libya at various bilateral, regional and international forums, stressing the need to clear Libya of mercenaries.

Meanwhile, Lavrov said that this underlined Egypt’s role in regional security and stability, adding that Russia seeks to continue cooperation and coordination with Cairo on the issue.

However, the dispute encompasses that Ethiopia is building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River’s main tributary, which Egypt and Sudan deem a major threat if it is filled and operated without a legally binding agreement.

WASHINGTON, 14 April, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, during a phone with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the U.S. President Joe Biden proposed a summit, the White house affirmed.

Readout of the call provided by the administration on Tuesday said, Biden proposed holding the summit in the coming months.

The call, at least the second between the two men since Biden took office in January, comes as the United States and other Western countries grow weary of Russia’s budding troop presence along its border with Ukraine.

The two discussed a number of regional and global issues, the White House said.

Biden proposed holding a summit somewhere outside the U.S. and Russia “to discuss the full range of issues facing” the countries.

The Russian readout of the call said, “Both presidents expressed their willingness to continue the dialogue on the critical areas of ensuring global security, which would meet the interests not only of Russia and the United States, but the entire international community.”

“In addition, Joseph Biden expressed interest in normalizing the state of affairs on the bilateral track and establishing stable and predictable interaction on pressing matters such as ensuring strategic stability and arms control, Iran’s nuclear program, the situation in Afghanistan, and global climate change,” it added.

However, neither of the readouts indicated whether Putin agreed to the summit or how he received the proposal.

MALE, 14 April, 2021 (TON): The Chinese Embassy in the Maldives has congratulated Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the newly elected mayor of Male’ City and former Housing Minister.

Muizzu won the local elections held last Saturday.

The interim head of the Chinese Embassy in the Maldives congratulated the Mayor-elect on his win yesterday in a phone call.

Opposition-backed Muizzu won the elections for the mayor of Male’ City by a landslide, competing with Anas Abdul Sattar who was backed by the governing MDP. 

Opposition parties also enjoyed a wide win in the council seats for the capital. 

However, Maldivian-Chinese cooperation in boosting ties is long, as massive infrastructure development projects were carried out in the Maldives by China, that too during Muizzu’s tenure as Housing Minister.

The projects include the Sinamale’ Bridge also known as the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge and the Hiyaa Housing Project.

COLOMBO, 14 April, 2021 (TON): The Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced that the Joint Agency Task Force Operation Sovereign Borders supporting the Sri Lankan Police that aims to establish an aerial drone surveillance capability has gifted five drones to Sri Lankan police.

The Commander of the Joint Agency Task Force, along with the Australian Federal Police gifted the Sri Lankan Police five aerial drones to support crime fighting in Sri Lanka at a virtual ceremony last week.

The drones will be used in a wide range of activities including natural disaster scene assessment and recovery, transnational crime investigation and to counter maritime people smuggling.

The commander of Joint Agency Task Force Operation Sovereign Borders, Rear Admiral Mark Hill said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Sri Lankan Police for their continued efforts to deter and disrupt illegal maritime people smuggling activities in Sri Lanka.”

 “Working together, Australia and Sri Lanka send a strong message that people smugglers and potential illegal immigrants considering illegal travel to Australia by boat have zero chance of success,” he added.

The new drones could be used in a range of ways to enhance the operational capabilities of Sri Lankan Police. However, the partnership highlights the strength of Australia’s relationship with Sri Lanka, who has been a valuable partner in preventing and responding to maritime people smuggling.

KABUL, 14 April, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on the Taliban to foil fighting and to observe ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan.

To mark the start of Ramadan, the President said, "Once again I am calling upon the Taliban to give up fighting, enmity and observe permanent ceasefire which is the demand of the people of Afghanistan." 

The President made the remarks amid efforts to hold a peace conference on Afghanistan under UN auspices in Turkey.

In war-torn Afghanistan, fighting and violence have been continuing, and in the latest wave, over 50 people including Taliban, government security personnel and civilians were killed.

TEHRAN, 14 April, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for boosting defense cooperation with Russia.

Rouhani said in a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Iran expects expansion of military and defense cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.

He said it while considering the termination of a UN arms embargo on Iran in October last year, the media reported. 

Lavrov arrived in Iran's capital Tehran on Tuesday for talks with senior Iranian officials on bilateral relations and international issues.

He also called for enhancement of economic and trade exchanges between the two countries, saying bilateral relations must grow despite pressures.

Iran favors regional cooperation to ensure peace and stability however, it would also serve as a means against the U.S. interference in regional affairs.

DAMASAK, 13 April, 2021(TON): On Saturday, in the northeast Nigeria, the offices of several international aid groups were attacked and set ablaze.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for these weekend attacks in Damasak.

These most recent attacks have renewed fears for the safety of humanitarian workers, who support 8,800 internally displaced people and 76,000 local residents.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said the attack has jeopardized its work and threatened the lives of many of the organization’s aid workers.

An NRC guesthouse was reported to have gone up in flames, destroying aid supplies and a number of vehicles.

Nevertheless, a representative of the aid group said the five staff members staying in Damasak escaped unharmed in this fourth attack.

BEIJING, 13 April, 2021 (TON): The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday that China expressed concerns over Japan’s decision to dispose of radioactive water at the Fukushima, releasing it into Pacific Ocean.

China urged the Japanese side to take a responsible attitude and treat the issue of nuclear waste disposal with caution, said the ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian.

Zhao stressed that proper disposal of nuclear waste is related to international public interests and the vital interests of neighboring countries.

It should be handled carefully and properly to avoid further damaging the marine environment, food safety and human health.

However, noticeably the Fukushima nuclear accident is one of the most serious ones in the world so far, the accident caused a large amount of radioactive material to leak, which has had a profound impact on the marine environment, food safety and human health.