China: India's absence at BRI won't affect ties

Beijing (IANS) China on Friday said that India's absence at the second Belt and Road forum next week will not affect their engagement and both the countries are preparing for a Wuhan-like summit between their leaders this year.

Addressing…

N.Korea didn't test ballistic missile: US official

Washington (IANS) US Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan has confirmed that North Korea conducted a weapons test, but said that it was "not a ballistic missile".

"I'm not going to go into the detailed…

14 passengers shot dead in Pakistan

Islamabad (IANS) At least 14 passengers were offloaded from a bus on a highway in Pakistan's Balochistan province and shot dead by unidentified assailants on Thursday, media reports said.

Around 15-20 armed assailants in…

Imran Khan to embark on four-day China trip next week

Islamabad, April 18 (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will embark on a four-day visit to China next week to attend the Belt and Road Forum and hold bilateral talks with the Chinese leadership on the new phase of the China-Pakistan Econo­mic…

No French trees big enough to rebuild Notre Dame roof

Paris (IANS) France no longer has trees big enough to replace the ancient wooden beams that burned in the massive Notre Dame fire, according to a French cultural heritage expert.

Bertrand de Feydeau, Vice President of preservation…

Paris' iconic Notre Dame cathedral on fire, spire collapses

Paris (IANS) A fire at Paris's iconic Notre-Dame cathedral on Monday has spread over the more than eight-century-old building, destroying its spire and a large part of its roof, media reports said.

The cause of the fire…

UN seeks access to Syria's Rukban for evacuation

United Nations (IANS) The UN has said it wants to do more to help the people of Rukban in Syria -- those who fled and those are still there -- if granted full access.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,…

No grudges if India decides to skip BRI forum: China

Beijing (IANS) China on Monday said it won't hold a grudge against India if it skipped the second edition of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum, an event related to the multi-billion dollar connectivity project, to be held this month.

IMF may delay Pakistan visit as bailout talks continue

Islamabad (IANS) The visit of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to Islamabad for finalising a bailout package for Pakistan may be delayed as both sides are still engaged in an intense discussion on the proposed programme, official…

Sudan's transitional military council announces 10-member list

Khartoum (IANS) Sudan's Transitional Military Council chief has issued a constitutional decree to confirm the list of 10 army generals in the council, the official Sudan TV reported.

According to the decree, the 10-member military council…