Indian Sub-continent

COLOMBO, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said on Thursday that the South Asian country is discussing nuclear energy cooperation with Russia.

The minister said he met with the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Levan Dzhagaryan Thursday morning and discussed the requirements of Sri Lanka's energy sector.

"We discussed cooperation on fuel requirements, refinery operations, challenges in coal supply and the memorandum of understanding signed for nuclear energy cooperation with Rosatom," he said.

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif agreed to further deepen the bilateral relationship between the two countries and raise it to strategic cooperation for the mutual benefit of their peoples, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Kanpur: A girl student of class 10 jumped from the school terrace allegedly after being reprimanded by her teacher at Kanpur Cantonment Board School on Wednesday.

The student was identified as Shivani who has been admitted to a hospital in critical condition.

The teacher Ghanshyam allegedly hurt the feelings of Shivani in front of the class and said, "Should I get a quilt-mattress for you in school".

Distressed by the ridicule, Shivani jumped from the terrace of the school.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 14 (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday said Imran Khan-led government had closed down several projects of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s previous government and even renamed some of them which were inaugurated by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 14 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon on Wednesday expressed satisfaction on the steady growth and momentum of the bilateral relations and agreed to enhance these relations towards strategic cooperation for mutual benefit of the two countries and their peoples.

COLOMBO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Food Program (WFP) Executive Board has approved Sri Lanka's Country Strategic Plan (CSP) for the period between 2023 and December 2027, the President's Media Division (PMD) said on Wednesday.

The CSP, which is valued at 74.87 million U.S. dollars, is aligned with the national policy framework and consistent with the UN Sustainable Development Corporation Framework for Sri Lanka 2023-2027, the PMD said.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 13 (APP): The federal cabinet on Tuesday formally accorded its approval to the signing of final deal over Reko Diq project, thus paving way for inking of the final agreement on December 15.

After the approval given to the ministry of petroleum and other relevant ministries and with its final signing, the agreement over Reko Diq project would be implemented.

MUMBAI, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The production and sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in India are expected to be hit in the coming months by new rules on battery safety as a stumbling block, said a report by The Economic Times on Tuesday.

The new safety norms have been put in place following several incidents of fire in EVs in recent months, which are being implemented in two phases - with effect from Dec. 1, and April 1 next year.

The second phase or norm involves fixing additional sensors and sending out warnings in case of thermal heating.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — China on Tuesday advised its citizens in Afghanistan to leave the country “as soon as possible,” following a coordinated attack by Islamic State militants the previous day on a Chinese-owned hotel in the heart of Kabul.

The Chinese advisory appeared to be a setback for Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers who seek foreign investments in hopes of halting the downward spiral of the Afghan economy since their takeover of the country more than a year ago.

MUMBAI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Indian and Chinese troops suffered minor injuries in a clash in the Tawang sector of India's Arunachal Pradesh state on Dec. 9, the Indian army said on Monday, the first such incident since the deadly clash between the two neighbours in June 2020.

Arunachal Pradesh is located on India's eastern tip and shares a border with China.

"Both sides immediately disengaged from the area," the army said, adding that the incident was followed by its commander in the area holding a meeting with his Chinese counterpart to discuss the issue.