Countdown begins to launch mission to find life on Mars
London, March 14 (IANS) In a bid to begin a new era of Mars exploration for Europe, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) are set to send a robotic…
International
China to build 25,000 public toilets to boost tourism
Beijing, March 14 (IANS) China is set to build 25,000 new public toilets in 2016, as problems with public lavatories have become a major drawback in the country’s tourism industry, the media reported on Monday….
China invests in Tibet’s water projects
Beijing, March 14 (IANS) China’s central government invested 22 billion yuan (about $3 billion) into water conservancy infrastructure of Tibet in the past five years, the media reported on Monday. The investment benefited about 1.8…
Pakistan SC to hear appeals against military court convictions
Islamabad, March 14 (IANS) The Supreme Court of Pakistan will commence hearing 10 appeals instituted against military court convictions of militants from Wednesday, the media reported on Monday. The appeals will be taken up by…
Inquiry over ‘offensive’ content in Pakistani textbook
Islamabad, March 14 (IANS) Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province has ordered an inquiry over offensive content in a sociology textbook, even after the publisher tendered a public apology, the media reported on Monday. The book…
34 killed in Turkey blast
Ankara, March 14 (IANS) At least 34 people were killed and 125 others injured after an explosion hit Turkey’s capital city of Ankara, the media reported on Monday. A bomb-laden car caused the explosion late…
Eight killed in Thai bank chemical accident
Bangkok, March 14 (IANS) At least eight people were killed and seven others injured after fire suppression chemicals were accidentally released at a bank in Thailand’s capital Bangkok, the media reported on Monday. The accident…
Seoul import prices rise first in eight months
Seoul, March 14 (IANS) South Korea’s import prices rose for the first time in eight months due to a rebound in crude oil prices, central bank data showed on Monday. The import price index stood…
Chinese shares open higher
Beijing, March 14 (IANS) Chinese stocks opened higher on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.7 percent, at 2,830.08 points. The smaller Shenzhen index opened 1.1 percent higher at 9,466.42 points, Xinhua news…
Chinese yuan weakens to 6.4913 against USD
Beijing, March 14 (IANS) The central parity rate of the Chinese yuan weakened 8 basis points to 6.4913 against the US dollar on Monday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trading System. In China’s spot…
Tokyo shares open higher on firm Japanese data
Tokyo, March 14 (IANS) Tokyo shares opened the trading on Monday higher on a better-than-expected Japanese machinery orders data released earlier the day and the rise in oil prices. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average jumped…
27 killed in Turkey blast
Ankara, March 14 (IANS) At least 27 people were killed and 75 others injured in a strong explosion that hit the Turkish capital Ankara on Sunday, the governor’s office said. The blast took place in…
Scientists create antibody cocktail that cures Ebola-infected monkeys
Washington, March 14 (IANS) Scientists have created a two-antibody cocktail that was able to cure monkeys infected with the deadly Ebola virus, revealed a new study. The MIL77E cocktail was based on one of the…
Anti-migration party records large gains in German regional elections
Berlin, March 14 (IANS) Germany’s anti-migration party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), has recorded remarkable gains in Germany’s regional elections on Sunday and is able to break into three more German state parliaments, according to…
12 killed in terror attack at Ivory Coast beach resort
By Francis Kokutse Accra (Ghana), March 14 (IANS) At least 12 people, including some foreign nationals, have been reported dead after an armed group attacked a popular restaurant on a beach close to the L’Etoile…
Kerry urges Syrian warring parties to respect cessation of hostilities
Paris, March 14 (IANS) US Secretary of State John Kerry here on Sunday urged Syrian warring parities to respect cessation of hostilities, a day ahead of the resumption of the United Nations-brokered Syrian peace talks…
27 killed in Ankara explosion
Ankara, March 14 (IANS) An explosion hit Turkeys capital Ankara on Sunday killing at least 27 people and injuring 75 others, sources said. Many ambulances were sent to the scene after a bomb-laden car exploded…
10 killed in Ivory Coast beach resort attack
Grand-Bassam (Ivory Coast), March 13 (IANS) At least 10 people were killed on Sunday as gunmen opened fire on tourists at a beach resort in the west African nation of Ivory Coast, a media report…
Two UN peacekeepers shot dead by colleague in Mali
Bamako (Mali), March 13 (IANS) Two UN peacekeepers were shot dead and another injured by their Chadian colleague, the UN mission in Mali said on Sunday. Authorities arrested the peacekeeper but the reason behind the…
31 killed in rain-triggered incidents in Pakistan
Islamabad, March 13 (IANS) At least 31 people were killed and 47 injured in rain-related incidents in Pakistan in the last three days, the authorities said on Sunday. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in…