Indian Sub-continent

BAMIYAN, Afghanistan, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The picturesque Band-e-Amir was a popular tourist destination in the past but the U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan have ruined people's joy here.

Mohammad Sadat, 25, from the capital city of Kabul, came to enjoy the natural beauty and clean atmosphere in Band-e-Amir lakes. He said economic problem and poverty "have ruined the lives of Afghans and without money you can't come here for fun."

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan protesters occupied the entrance to the president’s office for a second day on Sunday, demanding Gotabaya Rajapaksa resign over the debt-ridden country’s worst economic crisis in memory.

Hundreds of demonstrators weathered heavy rain with raincoats and umbrellas and chanted anti-government slogans. Some called for the entire Parliament to disband to make way for a younger leadership.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The ouster of Prime Minister Imran Khan in a parliamentary no-confidence vote early Sunday set Pakistan on an uncertain political path, with Khan calling on supporters to take to the streets in protest and the political opposition preparing to install his replacement.

NEW DELHI (AP) — India began offering booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine to all adults on Sunday but limited free shots at government centers to front-line workers and people over age 60.

The doses, which India is calling a “precautionary” shot instead of a booster, are available to people nine months after they receive their second jab, the Health Ministry said in a statement Friday. Those outside the two priority categories will need to pay for the shots at privately run facilities, the ministry said.

Srinagar, 10 April 2022: Two Kashmiris were killed by Indian security forces in Srinagar of the Indian Administered Kashmir on Sunday, Indian officials said.

Three security force personnel were also injured in gunfight.

Kanpur:  Now, a Mumbai-made specialised machine Trash skimmer and weed remover will be brought in the removal of trash like polythene, clothes, metal items, puja wastes, dead animals and birds among other wastes from the river water.

This machine helps remove water hyacinth (Jalkumbhi) that tends to ruin the river water.

Procured by Kanpur Smart City Limited at a cost of ₹1.9 Crores, this machine will be operated by Kanpur Municipal Corporation.

This machine will clean and cover eight-kilometre stretches of Ganga daily.

Islamabad, Apr 9 (PTI) Pakistan's Army on Saturday conducted a successful flight test of the surface-to-surface medium-range ballistic missile Shaheen-III which can strike targets up to 2,750 kilometres, bringing a number of Indian cities under its range.

The test flight was aimed at revalidating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system, the military's media wing Inter Services Public Relations said in a statement.

Sasaram, Apr 9 (PTI) A 60-feet-long steel bridge was dismantled and stolen by a group of men posing as government officers in Bihar's Rohtas district, police said on Saturday.

The bridge, weighing 500 tons, was built over the Arrah canal in Amiyawar village in Nasriganj police station area in 1972, they said.

A group of men, posing as officers of the Irrigation Department, dismantled the defunct bridge with the help of gas-cutters and earthmovers over three days, police said.

Kanpur: In a crackdown on corrupt police personnel, joint commissioner of police, law and order, Piyush Media, raided Kanpur road in Sarojini Nagar and Ayodhya road on Polytechnic Crossing, recently.

Two home guards were arrested while extorting money from truck drivers on Kanpur Road near Sarojini Nagar chungi.

In the incident, an FIR was lodged against them. An FIR was also lodged against a constable, who fled the spot when the police team raided.

New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) A new version of the Pinaka rocket system has been successfully flight-tested by the DRDO and the Indian Army at the Pokhran firing ranges, the defence ministry said on Saturday.

As many as 24 Pinaka Mk-I (Enhanced) Rocket Systems (EPRS) were fired for different ranges during the last fortnight and the weapons met the required accuracy and consistency, it said.