Indian Sub-continent

Visakhapatnam, Apr 15 (PTI) A person allegedly hacked six members of a family, including an infant, to death and later surrendered to the police at a village in Visakhapatnam district early on Thursday.

City Commissioner of Police Manish Kumar Sinha visited Juttada village under Pendurthi mandal to take stock of the situation.

Police said Battina Appala Raju attacked the family members of Bammidi Ramana with a large sickle, allegedly owing to a running feud between the two families for some time now.

ISLAMABAD, Apr 15 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday underscoring the transformational significance of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), reaffirmed the country’s commitment to expeditiously complete CPEC projects.

The Prime Minister expressed these views while talking to Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong, who called on him here.

During the meeting, views were exchanged on China’s experience of poverty alleviation, COVID-19 situation, and bilateral relations.

New Delhi, Apr 15 (PTI) Petrol price on Thursday was cut by 16 paise per litre and diesel by 14 paise -- the fourth minor reduction in rates in three weeks that followed six months of relentless price increases.

Petrol now costs Rs 90.40 per litre in Delhi, down from Rs 90.56, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

A litre of diesel comes for Rs 80.73 per litre as against Rs 80.87 previously.

Rates have been reduced across the country and vary from state to state depending on the local incidence of taxation (VAT).

New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said India will raise its climate ambitions but not under pressure, and that it will not allow anybody to forget their historical responsibility.

He also said that India is suffering because of the mistakes of others and "is not responsible for climate change that is happening".

Javadekar made the remarks during a speech after a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at the French Embassy.

KABUL (Reuters) - Many Afghans believe that the United States is putting them at the mercy of hardline Islamist Taliban insurgents after President Joe Biden’s announcement that U.S. troops will leave the country by Sept. 11.

The withdrawal date was pushed back four months from the May 1 deadline agreed to between the Washington and the insurgents last year - but, this time, there have been no conditions attached to the pullout.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Biden administration’s surprise announcement of an unconditional troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 appears to strip the Taliban and the Afghan government of considerable leverage and could ramp up pressure on them to reach a peace deal.

NEW DELHI (AP) — India reported more than 200,000 new coronavirus cases Thursday, skyrocketing past 14 million overall as an intensifying outbreak puts a grim weight on its fragile health care system.

In the capital, New Delhi, more than a dozen hotels and wedding banquet halls were ordered to be converted into COVID-19 centers attached to hospitals.

“The surge is alarming,” said S.K. Sarin, a government health expert in New Delhi.

RAWALPINDI, Apr 14 (APP): Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in a telephonic conservation with United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Wednesday said Pakistan would always support “Afghan led-Afghan Owned” Peace Process based on mutual consensus of all stakeholders.

During the conversation matters of mutual interest, regional security situation including latest developments in Afghan Peace Process and bilateral cooperation in various fields were came under discussion, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) media release.

(APP) --- The government on Wednesday announced a ban on the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said, following two days of clashes and road blockades by the party workers across the country, over the arrest of its top leader.

He said the ban has been placed under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and said the Punjab government has moved a summary to the federal cabinet to ban TLP.

“Today we have decided to ban TLP and we will get the approval of the cabinet,” Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said at a news conference.

NEW DELHI, April 14 (NNN-Bernama) — India’s palm oil imports from Malaysia rose 50 per cent in March compared with February’s volumes as the country’s monthly overall edible imports grew.

Latest data from Mumbai-based trade group Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA) showed Indian imports of palm oil from Malaysia in March were made up of 270,195 tonnes of crude palm oil (CPO), 1,500 tonnes of RBD palmolein and 11,082 tonnes of crude palm kernel oil (CPKO).

In February, the country imported 187,387 tonnes of Malaysian palm oil.