SL to track ‘visa-abusing’ Russians & Ukrainians
COLOMBO, April 10: Sri Lanka’s Parliament has stressed the need to track down Russian and Ukrainian tourists who are carrying out businesses in the country’s southern resorts by abusing their tourist entry visas. The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) on Tuesday asked the Department of Immigration and Emigration to track them down for necessary action. The parliamentarians had pointed out that both nationalities, and in certain cases the Israeli tourists, were doing business illegally, depriving the local communities of opportunities. The officials told COPA that their locations were hard to track down and they welcomed information from the locals. It was then decided to set up a hotline for the purpose so that relevant officials could be promptly activated to take action. (PTI)
US felicitates Jain spiritual leader
WASHINGTON, April 10: India’s Jain spiritual leader Lokesh Muni has been presented with the US President’s Gold Volunteer Service award in recognition of his contribution to the public good and humanity. Founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharati and World Peace Center in India, Muni received the Presidential Award Golden Shield, and Certificate of Honour from senior Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman at the US Capitol on Tuesday. “I congratulate you for your contribution to the public good and congratulate you for your service to this great nation and humanity,” read the citation signed by President US Joe Biden. Meanwhile, Lokesh Muni said that the award presented to him is the honour of the principle of Jainism, its founder Lord Mahavira and the rich Indian culture. (PTI)
Hong Kong fire leaves 2 dead, 27 injured
HONG KONG, April 10: A fire in a large, mostly residential building in Hong Kong on Wednesday morning killed at least five people and left another 27 injured. The blaze in the New Lucky House in the Jordan neighborhood was extinguished later in the morning, but police said people inside the building still were calling for help. Firefighters had rushed to the scene after receiving a call about the fire at 7:53 a.m., authorities said. Three males and two females were killed, police said. (PTI)