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Children of PoK stand up against Indifferent Islamabad

Muzaffarabad, POK, May 6: Children and teens of Pakistan Occupied have joined the nationalists in their agitation against Islamabad. They have been venting their anger against the repressive regime of Pakistan, that is neglecting the humanitarian issues and depriving people from getting good health, education, electricity and infrastructure. Their frustration level is on the rise.

More than 2,100 confirmed dead in Afghanistan landslide

Afghanistan, May 3 (ANI): Afghan officials gave up hope on Saturday of finding any survivors from a landslide in the remote north-east Afghan province of Badakhshan, putting the death toll at more than 2,100. Villagers and police, equipped with only the basic digging tools, resumed their search when daylight broke but it soon became clear there was no hope of finding survivors buried in up to 100 metres of mud.

Massive landslide in Afghanistan kills at least 350

Afghanistan, May 03 (ANI): At least 350 people were killed in a massive landslide that buried a village in the north-east Afghan province of Badakhshan. According to reports, hundreds of homes were buried under mud and rocks when a section of a mountain collapsed following torrential rain. The rescue mission has begun to search for any survivors of the natural disaster. Officials say that as many as 2,000 people are missing and dozens are trapped under rocks. The UN mission in Afghanistan said in a statement that the number of deceased has increased to 350 and significant displacement is expected, adding that the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is helping local authorities to rescue those still trapped.

Pak observes 'mourning day' as families of deceased MQM workers perform last rites

Karachi, May 03 (ANI): Pakistan's biggest city Karachi came to a standstill on Friday after Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) called for a day of mourning after four bodies were recovered from the city three days earlier were identified as those of its activists. MQM said all four workers were picked up on April 13 by the law-enforcement personnel from Gulshan-e-Maymar area in the city. The paramilitary Rangers and police, who are currently conducting a joint operation in Karachi against the criminals, deny the allegations. Meanwhile, more than two thousand party activists, supporters and relatives of the victims offered funeral prayers for two of the slain workers of MQM. The other two were buried on Thursday night. The MQM which represents Urdu speakers, is the second largest party in Sindh and dominates the country's financial capital Karachi.

Imran Khan Announces Complete Boycott of Geo Network and Jang Group

Islamabad, May 03 (ANI): Pakistan's cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan announced that he and his party would boycott Geo and Jang Media Group over what he said was the media group's "role in rigging" during the national elections held last May. Khan said neither he nor any member of his party would appear on Geo TV until they receive an apology. He said Geo was responsible for airing a victory speech of Nawaz Sharif at a time when the election results had not been fully counted. Khan , who is Chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said his party had issued a white paper in which it has revealed instances of rigging that had come to light after the party's investigations.

Khaleda Zia blames Bangladesh govt for recent incidents of abduction and murder

Dhaka, May 02 (ANI): Bangladesh's former Prime Minister and BNP Chief Khaleda Zia, blamed the ruling Awami League for a spate of recent incidents of abduction and murder, questioning safety of the common people. Zia while addressing a rally issued a 'red alert' urging 19 party leaders and activists to stage anti-government movement. Zia said that she would take to streets along with the people to ensure their security. During the rally, Zia also urged the government to sit for a dialogue to find a way to hold free and fair polls in order to find an unbiased government.

Tripura roots for access to Bangladesh port to transport food grains

Agartala, May 1 (ANI): Tripura has approached the central government to gain access to Chittagong sea port of Bangladesh in order to transport essential commodities to the state. Earlier in a major policy change, the Bangladesh government had agreed to transport 10,000 tonnes of food grains for Tripura from Haldia (port in West Bengal) to Ashuganj (port in Bangladesh). The successful transit of the food grains through the neighboring nation will not only reduce the distance of more than 1600 km between Tripura and West Bengal through the hilly serpentine road to one-third and thus save huge amount of transportation money, but will also save precious time.

Pak protests in support of ISI against Hamid Mir

Karachi/ Islamabad, April 28 (ANI): Pakistanis continued to hold demonstrations as hundreds took to streets on Sunday in support of the armed forces, a week after prominent news channel reported that country's powerful spy agency was behind the shooting of one of Pakistan's most famous journalists. Hamid Mir, a veteran talk-show presenter at Geo News, survived the attack after unidentified gunmen shot him multiple times in the port city of Karachi on April 19. Geo television has since repeatedly accused the ISI of being behind the shooting. The military has denied the accusation. More than two hundred people from religious group, Sunni Ittehad Council marched to the office of Geo television and staged a sit-in outside the office blocking the road for several hours. Apart from several smaller protests, about 200 activists of Jamaat-ud Dawah also demonstrated in Karachi.

Thousands of pilgrims gather as Vatican declares Popes John Paul II and John XXIII saints

Vatican City, April 27 (ANI): Tens of thousands of pilgrims tried to move past barricades around the Vatican in the early hours of Sunday morning in an effort to be in pole position for the canonisation ceremony that declared Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII saints. It is the first time two popes have been canonised at the same time. Giant screens were set up in nearby streets and elsewhere in the city for those unable to get into the square. Thousands of Polish pilgrims crammed into streets around the Vatican after having spent the night dancing and singing. The event will be attended by Heads of States, members of royal families and government officials from around the world. There will also be one special guest, Emeritus Pope Benedict.

South Korean PM Chung Hong-Won Resigns over Ferry sinking

Seoul, April 27 (ANI): South Korea's Prime Minister Chung Hong-Won tendered his resignation on Sunday over the government response to sinking of a passenger ferry that left more than 300 people dead or missing. The Sewol, a large passenger ferry, capsized more than 300 people- many of them schoolchildren - on board when it was en route to the southern resort island of Jeju on April 16. Divers are still trying to recover their bodies. A sombre Prime Minister Chung Hong-won began his resignation announcement with a mournful prelude, amid criticism of the government's handling of the disaster. Meanwhile, grieving parents stormed the rescue headquarters and blamed the government for the slow pace of the recovery and the frequent changes in information provided by the team.

Virgin Australia plane held at Bali airport after suspected hijacking

Sydney, April 25 (ANI): A Virgin Australia plane VA41 landed at Bali airport on Friday after a suspected hijacking, officials said. The pilot of the Virgin Australia plane flying to the Indonesian holiday island of Bali reported a hijacking attempt after a drunk passenger tried to enter the cockpit. The man was handcuffed and put into a rear seat of the Boeing 737-800, which landed safely. Virgin Blue Airlines, also known as Virgin Australia, is the country's second largest airline as well as the largest by fleet size to use the Virgin brand.

Govt takes stringent safety measures as Bangladesh marks first anniversary of 'Rana Plaza collapse'

Dhaka, April 25 (ANI): One year after Bangladesh's garment factory collapse that killed over 1,100, workers, manufacturers and exporters say the scenario has changed with government taking stringent safety and clearance measures. On April 24, 2013, the eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Savar, housing garment factories and shops collapsed. Managing Director of Evince group and former president of Bangladesh garment manufacturer and exporters association, Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), said after deep introspection it was deduced that the disaster occurred due to lapses by several institutions. On Wednesday (April 23), protesters and family members of victims demanded compensation on the eve of the one year anniversary of the collapse of Rana Plaza.

Sri Lanka's opposition party protest against casino projects

Colombo, April 24 (ANI): The Sri Lankan government is scheduled to seek parliamentary approval for the Australian Crown Resorts Ltd's $400 million complex along with other two similar projects. President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government last year won parliamentary approval for the projects but without explicit permission to operate casinos at them. Local media reports say Crown's chief, gambling tycoon James Packer, has asked for explicit approval to run a casino for the project to take off. Opposition politicians say Packer was getting concessions not given to local entrepreneurs and Buddhist leaders said the casino could be detrimental to Sri Lanka's culture. The mixed development projects include convention centre, shopping malls, and five-star hotels.

Lack of medical facilities snuffing out lives in Gilgit

Gilgit Baltistan, April 22: The crumbling social infrastructure in the region is making life miserable for people of Gilgit Baltistan, with the worst affected being those who do not have access to basic healthcare.

Bangladesh fighting against climate change, says environment minister

Dhaka, Apr 22 (ANI): Bangladesh Environment Minister and specialist Anwar Hossain Manju expressed concern over climate change owing to the rising sea levels, which could easily wipe away the rebuilt life. Manju called for a review of programmes aimed at improving resilience to natural disasters.

Bangladesh to mark first anniversary of worst-ever garment factory disaster in 'Rana Plaza'

Dhaka, April 21 (ANI): Bangladesh is set to mark the first anniversary of the world's worst garment industry accident, the Rana Plaza factory collapse on Thursday, which killed more than 1,100 workers and injured over 2,000, turning global attention on grim working conditions in the factories of the world's second biggest exporter of garments.The collapse on April 24, 2013 of the eight-story Rana Plaza building near Dhaka that housed several garment factories was a harrowing reminder of the collective failure - by the authorities, owners and buyers - to ensure that cheap doesn't mean dangerous. The accident focused attention on working conditions in Bangladesh. U.S. and European retailers responded by forming groups to push for better safety standards and regular inspections. Garments are a vital sector for Bangladesh and its low wages and duty-free access to Western markets have helped make it the world's second-largest apparel exporter after China.

Human rights violations continue in Balochistan, claims Brahamdagh Bugti

Geneva, April 21: International human rights groups have remained silent even as the 'pick, kill and dump' policy of Pakistan's ISI continues in Balochistan. Baloch nationalist leader and President of Baloch Republican Party (BRP), Brahamdagh Bugti, is trying to draw the attention of the international community to the crisis in Balochistan, as incidents of enforced disappearances, torture and killings of Baloch people are rising. He has urged the human rights groups not to ignore the worsening situation in Balochistan. Baloch blames Pakistan for forcefully occupying their territory in 1948, and since then the people have been fighting for their independence.

Malaysian Airline makes emergency landing in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia, Apr 21 (ANI): A Malaysia Airlines passenger plane with 166 people on board landed safely at Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday after being forced to abandon a flight to Bangalore city because of problems with its landing gear. Malaysia Airlines said earlier that the Boeing 737-800, carrying 159 passengers and seven crew, had suffered a malfunction of its right-hand landing gear upon takeoff, and would be forced to attempt an emergency landing.

Bangladesh has a lot of economic potential: Economy expert

New Delhi, April 20 (ANI): Bangladesh's economy has managed to remain stable and on track despite the political upheaval and protests by the opposition. It is now targeting an 'extreme poverty free' country status by 2021. In an exclusive interview to ANI, economy expert Akash Jindal stated that Bangladesh has been able to control inflation and has a lot of potential for growth. Jindal also said that the Bangladesh government needs to tackle the problem of corruption for development of the country. He also added that Bangladesh needs to liberalize their economy for further development.

Pak's MQM protests against 'disappearances and killings' of party workers

Karachi, April 18 (ANI): About three thousand workers and supporters of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party took to streets of Pakistan's Karachi to protest what they said "enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings" of party workers. On January 15, one of the MQM leaders Hyder Abbas Rizvi had alleged that personnel of the law-enforcement agencies in plain clothes had been picking up MQM workers and subjecting them to torture, and in some cases, they killed their workers and dumped their bodies on the outskirts of the city. The paramilitary Rangers and police, who are currently conducting a joint operation in Karachi against the criminals, deny the allegations.